Truth is Stranger
by Irenx
Summary: Every once in a while, a world will become unstable and collapse. Gaia is undergoing such a change, yet the planet is saving itself - by merging with its parallel universe.
1. Lonely Night

**Author's Note: I have reworked bits of this chapter due to a review I received. Hopefully it proves a better read now than before. I would like to add that the third person bites are intentional and are a narrative on the settings, etc from an omnipresent source. If you have any suggestions or comments, leave a review and I'll get back to you about it. :)**

**...B E G I N...**

_p r e l u d e_

_Chapter I_

Soft moonlight covered the cliff in sheer, velvety silver. Far below the rocky pinnacle, waves crashed with a steady rhythm that had remained the same for millennium and would continue to beat itself out until the end of the planet. No creatures stirred in the bleached, midnight world, the birds gone to roost and the normal nocturnal animals having scurried to their burrows. It seemed all was still, no noises save for the crashing of the ocean and the sighing, lonely wind that night. Finally, hesitantly, a soft sigh sent curious critters scattered back into the shadows from whence they had come. But then, all was still and silent once more.

On the highest point of the cliff, standing so still as to be mistaken for a statue was a lady. Dark hair rustled sadly in the wind, her chest barely rising as she breathed in the cool, salty air of the coast. She was oddly clothed for a night so cool and any normal human would have been shivering in the thin silk nightgown she wore. As if thinking upon this same topic, the woman's eyes gave an odd flicker, for it was indeed a flicker, as though her eye color had reversed itself from hazel to blue and back again. If you watched closely, you would see her nostrils flare as she exhaled slowly, silently, and closed her sorrowful eyes. After a long moment they opened. Once hazel and round pupil'd, they now resembled cat's eyes. But whereas a cat would not be thought strange to have startling blue-green eyes and a slit pupil, this was the very reason for which her's had become so odd.

As if remembering something that had been lurking on her mind, her lips, colored a soft, delicate pink that stood out well against her ivory skin, pursed into a small grimace. Barely visible in the low lighting, a pearly tear rolled down her cheek. She straightened defiantly, raised a shaky hand, and wiped away the tear quickly. Her mouth opened to speak, whether to calm or remind herself wasn't to be deciphered, but before any words came out she froze, eyes widening hopefully. Whirling, the woman glanced about quickly, and then wilted a little when not a soul was to be found behind her. Tonight was no different than any other where she had woken at midnight and was unable to fight the urge to run feverishly to this spot and stare out to sea for hours at a time. Who knew how many days, years even, it would be until she would come here and find something, anything, to mark the presence of another.

She uttered a low, yet loud, curse in a language rarely spoken, Latin it was called in this world, before stalking to the very edge of the cliff and, without pause, threw herself away from the comforting ground.

!~………………………………..~!

Falling was like flying, as they said, until you hit the ground. Then it was just falling and splatting like a fly who just wasn't fast enough to avoid the flyswatter. Fortunately for me, I had no intention of splatting. Wind whistled through my hair as I fell, the strands whipping at my face as though to scold me for my reckless actions. Twisting over onto my back so that I could watch the cliff wall race past me, or rather so I could watch my own self race past it, I continued my countdown. This was perhaps the hundredth time I had jumped from this cliff after all. Leaping from a three hundred foot cliff was practically rocket science to me. _Oh, look, I'm at the count of five now, only two more seconds until I have to stop free falling_, I thought rather wryly. And with another flip to face the ocean, I shot out my arms, enjoying the feeling of freedom as that secret side of me was revealed in one fluid motion. One wing is all I may have, but that was really all I needed. Never mind the physics of this world that said I shouldn't, in theory, be able to fly at all. What that logic failed to take into account was what and who I am. Silly humans, I was never able to refer to them as people when they were being close minded idiots, would get that item of knowledge on their need-to-know basis soon enough. For now, I was content to let them remain in the dark.

As the ocean roiled beneath me, barely a sword length away, I executed a nice swoop and skimmed over the whitecaps before banking hard to the right and propelling myself back up the cliff side. I had stayed as long as my body demanded, for what reason I couldn't ponder, and could return to my fitful sleeping. Just a few hundred yards away from the cliff's peak was home and an unfortunately cold bed just waiting for me to slip back under its covers and sink into a sleep pitted and pockmarked with garish nightmares and half forgotten tales. I grasped my right arm firmly as it panged briefly beneath the bandages that would be needed for who knew how long. As I drew my hand away, I noticed a few black smudges on my palm. Great. Sighing, I put my priorities in order. First home, then change bandages, throw this nightgown into the wash, and finally go back to bed.

Emerging up over the cliff, I leveled out my flight pattern and beat my way along the path towards the place I knew I would always return to – home.

!~………………………………..~!

The home was a modest place, which would've surprised many if they knew just who owned the house. Made of reclaimed wood, or wood that could be taken from old, weathered barns or what have you, the one story, minus the small storage space at the top, home held a rustic, cozy feel to it. It had, after all, been up to the woman currently flying towards it to design it. She wasn't about to let her house be grand and imposing and actually preferred the four bedroom, two bath setting. Yet, while the house didn't look it, she had placed all of the newest, most ergonomic devices within. High speed wifi was wired throughout the house to provide easy access to the intarwebz, as they were commonly referred to, while almost two thirds of the roof was taken over by solar paneling. Contrary to those panels, however, a small wood stove occupied the living room where it served to heat that room as well as provide aesthetic value. The rest of the house was heated by a single furnace.

While it might surprise some, only the master bedroom was occupied at the moment. She had been living with someone for the past two years, as well as housing a few friends if they were in the area, but the house was mostly empty now. A Spartan guest room had been set up in case of a surprise visit from a friend in the room directly opposite from the master bedroom where she slept. Sadly, this room was currently deserted, the door closed firmly against intrusion. The master bedroom's door was ajar and, should you glance inside, could be found to be almost lavish when compared to the other rooms' blank walls and empty spaces.

The walls had been painted a lovely shade of burgundy and the borders black to trick the mind into thinking the room was even larger than it really was. If you even stole a single glance at what covered the walls, an immediate knowledge that two people who were very different shared this room, yet somehow managed to keep each other in perfect balance. Intermixed with the oriental scrolls were copper toolings and hand carved figures from exotic locations. Against one wall, a simple, elegant black shelf was well stock with books ranging from paperback to limited edition hardcover, Shakespeare to sci-fi. The top shelf, however, held the various odds and ends the room's owners had collected over the years.

Three feathers, one pure white, another black-blue like a raven's feather, and the last one a matte black, rested upon a cherry wood jewelry box whose contents were constantly being removed and returned as the woman took them out to treasure and place upon the shelf for better viewing. Snuggled into one corner was a love seat draped with, of all things, a black leather trench coat that she couldn't bear to fold up and put away. And, finally, occupying the most space within the bedroom, was the king size bed that had taken forever to be decided upon. Both occupants on the room had different taste in what a comfortable bed was, so, of course, it was a struggle to find something they could both sleep on with ease. After almost a week of bickering, a mutual friend had given them a kick in the buttocks and set them straight. After that, it didn't take long for them to agree on something reasonable. A heavy quilt was draped across the bed, but another, softer, blanket was beneath it. A cracked window let air into the room and should you listen, the soft sound of a beating black wing was carried on the midnight wind.

!~………………………………..~!

The house was just below, the solar panels bleached to a light grey by the moon's rays, and all the grass gone to black in the shadow of my home. If you needed to see all the details to land in your own front yard, then you would be pretty well screwed right about how. Thankfully, I knew my way around my own house and, even if I did need light to land, I could see perfectly fine in the blackness. Course, I _did_ forget to put on my glasses or contacts before rushing out to the cliff, so everything was a bit blurry unless I was within 6 feet of it. Oh well, didn't bother me much. With a practiced back-wing I was on land again, settling gracefully, or what I hoped was graceful, back onto my feet. Reluctant to hide my wing again, I simply folded it closer to my back as I walked up the worn dirt path that led to the porch. Third step creaking like it always did when someone put or took weight off of it. I stopped to glance back the way I had come. A quick survey proved nothing had followed me, just like I had figured, but it was a habit I had never quite gotten over after active duty for all those years. Letting myself in through the front door, I closed it quietly behind me and locked it with a flick on my pointer finger.

As soon as I was inside, I let out a short _ping_ to make sure no one had intruded. Luckily for me, nothing had. And in case you're wondering, since you probably are, a "_ping_" is like mental radar. I came up with the name 'cause I always imagined that it would sound like a _ping_. Yeah, I'm weird, but its an easy name to use and remember, so it works. Walking the route to my bathroom, I began to unwind the soiled bandage from my arm. Another grimace began to lurk on my face as my bicep twinged warningly and for a moment I was worried that it would go into a full blown weeping bout. Thankfully, it didn't and I was able to escape to the bathroom to clean it up a little. Taking another look at the Geostigma I was inflicted with, I frowned heavily. It seemed to be getting worse and I didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. Probably bad, but there wasn't much I could do about it besides keeping it bandaged and salved up. Without thinking, I flipped on the lights and opened the cabinet to my left. Knowing exactly where everything was, I grabbed a clean bandage and that handy dandy salve while simultaneously throwing the soiled bandage into the laundry basket normally reserved for towels. I was applying salve to the 'Stigma, the green paste mainly just useful for controlling the flaking of the skin when another of the feelings that he was here hit me. Caught off guard as I was, I had looked up with the question "Why are you up so late?" ready on my tongue only to have it die on my lips when I saw, not for the first time, that only empty air was there.

Grunting in annoyance, and more than a little pain, I smacked the salve shut a little more forcefully than I normally would have and stood up. Of course, my attempt at being in a pissy mood so late at night was again thwarted, this time by a nasty head rush I got from standing too quickly. Weaving slightly, I put my gear away and tottered back towards bed, flinging my dirty nightgown at the washing machine as I passed the laundry room, and clapped hands across my chest in an attempt to hide anything sensitive from the cold air. Skittering into my bedroom, I glanced hopefully at the bed, though my mind was quick to tell me there was no way I'd see a certain person waiting for me, and wasn't disappointed when I saw empty sheets and blankets just as I left them.

Giving a small, snuffling sigh, I had begun to wander towards bed when my eyes caught sight of the black trench coat I had left draped across the love seat for almost two months now. Another sigh and I found myself instead pattering over towards it. With a great effort of will, I forced myself to pick the garment up off the seat and give it a gentle shake to get the dust off. After a moment of thought, I pulled it snug around my shoulders, just as amused as the first time at how large our differences were. A good five inches of it, or more, brushed the ground and I could probably fit two of me inside it. No matter how funny I looked in it, it was some measure of comfort to have this last reminder wrapped around me. If I closed my eyes, I could almost trick myself into thinking he was still around.

But, I still missed him and not even years could heal the pain. Someday, I was sure I would be able to think about him without feeling a rift open up in my heart, but that time certainly wasn't now. ShinRa had been fools, utter fools, and if they had allowed Gaia to right itself, none of this would've happened. As it was, I was stuck wondering if I would ever have my 'family' reunited and whole again. That frustrated me so much that I almost cried before regaining my composure and stalking over to the love seat and plopping down on top of it. I knew I was brooding again, something Zack had always tried to prevent me from doing, but dammit, I could brood over the inequality of it if I wanted to. Yet, even as I thought more and more about it, so did the urge to weep grow.

"No," I said softly to myself, tears threatening. It was late and I was getting overly sentimental. Reluctantly shedding the coat, I smoothed out the wrinkles one last time before placing it back on the loveseat. I slunk slowly over to my bed, the twisted covers and heavily wrinkled sheets displaying that, yet again, I was becoming subject to nightmares in my sleep. It took me a while to remake my bed, but once done I crawled gratefully back under the warm covers.

Yet, sleep didn't come for a long while to me and when it did, it was haunted by ghosts of the past I couldn't help but think haunted ShinRa's head honcho as well. Someday, maybe he'd learn from his mistakes and they would leave him be. But, if that was the case, then I could also conclude I had something to learn from my past mistakes as well. I liked to think they were less horrific than ShinRa's and, hopefully, they were.

**END CHAPTER I**


	2. Call To Arms

R E C A P

" _Reaching closure for my feeling of displacement, which was now gone, I happily, finally, pleasantly, returned to a more restful slumber. "_

_Chapter II_

In daylight, for it was indeed morning now, the house didn't seem so deserted. The sun was shining today and it highlighted the hazy smoke drifting lazily from the chimney. A quiet whisper of rock and roll drifted out the open doorway, the opening chords of Heroes by Shinedown beginning to rock their way around the house. Outside in the back yard, laundry hung from a weathered clothesline, the bright, muted and bland all hanging together. The clothes were pinned firmly to prevent them from being blown away and now they simply waved with a sense of vague dreaminess in the brisk breeze. Birds, seagulls especially, floated on thermals and called to each other, darting and dived through the air like she was often wont to do. Sun shone brightly through her house's open windows, giving rise to both the warm and cool colors she had painted the rooms in her house. Handsome paintings and decorations were hung on the walls and, in the living room, another bookcase was present. This one was mostly shelved with easy reading and magazines meant for the reader to use to pass the time. In one corner, various arts and crafts materials were strewn about on a small table, a half-finished painting depicting an ocean sunset lying on the easel expectantly.

Above all, a pajama clad form dashed back and forth sporadically within the house as the occupant struggled to get ready in time to catch the incoming tide. She had planned to go crabbing today, but if she missed the tide, it was likely she wouldn't catch as many as she'd like. She had disappeared into the kitchen to whip up some breakfast when a muffled crash and an f-bomb burst out from the house suddenly. The woman had tried to reach the very top of her cupboard to get a pan and failed. And now, due to her simple shortness, there was a dent in her nice, shiny hardwood floor and a ringing in her too-sensitive ears. Sometimes, things just did not go her way. Today, it seemed, would be one of those days.

!~………………………………..~!

_I _knew _I should've used a chair instead. _I glowered down at the culprit – my favorite frying pan – and then turned my attention to the quite large dent that now imposed itself on my recently buffed hardwood floor. Dammit. All I had wanted was a scrambled egg, was that too much to ask? In a thoroughly bad mood, I stalked over to the pan and snatched it up, hefting the heavy cast iron in my hand as I returned to the stove and placed it on the burner. A slice of butter and two eggs later, I was just beginning to cook those yummy scrambled eggs when I heard that familiar ringtone start up. _Who in Gaia is calling me at 8:30 in the morning? They _know_ I'm not even properly awake until 10. _More than a bit grumpily, I turned off the burner and gave my eggs a last flip before trotting into the living room to grab my cell phone which was still singing "Animals" by Nickelback to the whole world. Snatching it up from the coffee table, I paused to check who was ringing me before flipping it open.

"Yo, Angie, did something important happen? Its only 8:30," were my words to the person I knew would be on the line. And, as I turned the burner back on and fixed my eggs, I wasn't disappointed when his deep voice replied humorously to my question, _"Yes, we were assigned a mark. Seems your whining about being bored got you something to do."_

I groaned audibly and grabbed a clean plate, sliding my eggs onto it. Amidst the clinking of silverware as I grabbed a fork, I asked, "So, who, what, where, and when, Angeal?" Balancing the phone my shoulder, I shuffled my way over to the table, casting an annoyed glance at the dent as I passed, and flopped down on a seat.

"_It's a mutant wolf of sorts. I'm looking at the bill now. Thextera, seems to be attacking the residents up by Orofino, Idaho. That's close to where you used to live, isn't it? I heard your mother stills lives there. That's beside the point, however. Its just you and me this time. I'm headed over to your place now; I'll be there in about a half hour. After that, we leave immediately. I've got the plane tickets with me – two first class seats for two First Class SOLDIERs."_

Shoveling the last bite of my scrambled eggs into my mouth, I chewed somewhat noisily so it would be obvious I was thinking. I heard Angeal sigh quietly as he waited for my thought processes to boil over and/or finish. With a swallow, I finish my breakfast and actually began to think. So. Orofino. I knew the place pretty well even if it wasn't the town I had grown up in. Rather crowded place, really, since it was all packed together. Its streets needed to be about 5 feet wider and you could get anywhere you needed to be by walking on foot. Dworshack Reservoir, which had to be THE best place to go swimming since it had those cool floating docks, was about fifteen minutes from town and all the locals tended to go up there and party. It would be nice to go back there again, just to see what was happening, but there was one thing brooding on my mind... "Angeal, what am I suppose to do if I see my mom?" There was a long silence and I wondered if he was even listening to me before I reminded myself that doing something like that would be so unlike him that it was next to impossible.

And finally, thoughtfully, Angeal replied, _"Mission first. If you want to see her, then we can simply pay a visit once it's over. Until then, put your duty first and ignore her if she calls out to you." _Right, like that would be easy. It had been over 10 years since I had gone "missing" and I was being told not to freak if I saw my own mother? Angeal must've caught my irritable mood or heard my sigh, for he said calmly, _"Ahryn, in this world SOLDIER isn't common knowledge. Do you really think she'd believe you?" _Well, that was enough to cool my temper. No, I was pretty sure that she'd just think I went bat shit crazy if I told her about all the things I'd gone through. "Right, you win, Angie. I'll see you in, what, 15 minutes now?"

"_About that. I'm turning off in about three miles then I have to drive through town to your place. See you in a few." _Nodding my head even though it was impossible for him to see me, I said a last, "See ya" and snapped the phone closed, setting it down on the table. Returning to the hustle and bustle of a new day, I snatched up all the dirty dishes and threw them into the dishwasher. It was only half full, but I'd be gone for who knew how long, so I pressed the start button quickly and ran to my room.

It had been so long since I'd been given a mission that I almost didn't know what I was supposed to do. But, little by little, as I started making preparations my body worked itself into that old routine. Change bandage, put on uniform (minus boots), brush hair and teeth, pack materia, and put on boots. Then, with great reverence, I moved towards the walk in closet at the back of the room. Opening it and slipping inside, I removed a package from the very back. It was a box wrapped in garish red and green wrapping paper – which I knew had been picked out by Genesis just to assault my eyes – that had faded a little around the patchily stuck together rips where I had opened it two Christmas's ago. Even though I hadn't opened it for more than a few minutes then, I knew exactly what was inside. Everyone has pooled together their money, even though just one of them could have paid for it easily by themselves, and presented me with a group gift that year. That scene still stuck out in my mind, the humor and laughter in the event... I missed it.

!~………………………………..~!

**We were all strewn around the living room, Cloud and Zack on a pile of blankets by the stove, Genesis leaning against the window frame, Angeal sitting in the chair he always claimed, me flopped down on the floor in front of the couch, and Sephiroth seated behind me, quietly reading. Grabbing the package that was resting up against his chair, Angeal stood and offered it to me. 'That's from all of us.'** **Angeal's hand ruffled my hair fondly, just as he did to Zack and occasionally Cloud, as I held the gift bemusedly. 'What is it?' I had asked him. However, it wasn't Angeal that answered me, but Genesis. **

'**A gift from the Goddess, you should be thankful**_**,**_**' he snorted, though I caught a trace of amusement in his voice.**

**Angeal shook his head at the condescending tone of Genesis and said simply, 'Open it, you'll see. It might prove useful when you can't borrow one from someone else.'**__**Immediately I was tipped off and began to protest, but before I could get a word in edgewise, a small hazelnut pelted me in the side of the head. A startled yelp accompanied another friend's snickers. 'What was that for, Zachary?' I growled at the dark haired, puppy-of-an-adolescent who was flopped over the side of the couch.**

**'C'mon, open it, it's special,'**__**were his only words. Glowering at Zack, I took my own sweet time opening it which aggravated Zack and Genesis just like I thought it would. Angeal, Cloud, who was seated next to Zack and cracking open hazelnuts delicately, and Sephiroth seemed just as amused as me at the others' irritation. Unable to keep the Cheshire Cat grin off my face, I allowed it to grow wider and wider as I unwrapped the gift slower and slower. Finally, Zack howled, 'UNWRAP YOUR BLOODY PPRSENT, AHRYN!' **

**I tittered lightly before a toe nudged my backside and I twisted my head, grin fading into a look of mild curiosity, to meet Sephiroth's gaze. As always, it was hard to not to look away from his eyes in submission – though my main problem was that he never, ever blinked – but I looked him in the eye as he said wryly, 'I wouldn't want the house burned down.' I sighed, but caught his drift. Right, so I couldn't annoy Genesis to the point of him throwing fireballs. I glanced at him and saw that the runs on his blade, it wasn't uncommon, after all, for any of us to leave home without our weapon, were, indeed, beginning to glow. Oops. Sighing dramatically, I opened the wrapping paper the rest of the way and slid it off the box. The sleek, black box was heavier than I expected when I lifted it and for a moment I wondering if they had decided on something that would definitely not suit my fighting style. As I lifted the lid, however, I saw that the extra weight was simply caused by cedar shavings which served as packing peanuts and that the sword would be just right. It was shaped as a thin leaf blade, the hilt – wrapped in silky black thread – was longer than normal so that I could use it two-handed as well as one handed. And, without having even picked it up yet, I could see the balance would be perfect – centered mostly at the guard, but with enough weight as the middle of the blade so that I could pivot it at a moment's notice to turn a nick into a life threatening slice. That was when I noticed the engravings on the bottom of the hand guard. Four feathers had been etched into the steel, two silver and the other two turned black by some trick of the swordsmith. Gently removing it from the shavings, I turned it over to see the other side of the guard. Sure enough, there were two more engravings. I could've almost laughed upon seeing them, for I now understood what these markings were meant to symbolize. A puppy, cloud, two black feathers, and two white feathers – Zack, Cloud, Genesis, Sephiroth, and Angeal. Looking around the room and then craning my head backwards I said sincerely, 'Thanks, everyone.' **

!~………………………………..~!

Removing the sword at last from its hidden place, I grabbed the sheath and shoved it through the holster in my uniform's belt. Making sure the sheath was secure, I slipped the sword into it and tugged it partially out. Satisfied that it didn't need oiling, I fixed it fast inside the sheath and snapped the buckle closed across the guard. After I left the closet and returned to my bedroom, I glanced around to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything. Nothing save for my cell phone was out of place and I knew exactly where to find that. I cut the lights in the bedroom, shut the door behind me, and clomped my way into the living room, unused to wearing boots.

I grabbed my cell phone from the coffee table and had just flipped it open to set it to Mission Mode when I heard a rumbling purr begin. Judging from how soft it was, the pickup had just pulled into the start of my driveway. I had a few minutes left. Calmly, I set the front display of my phone to show time, date, and mission summary and put it on vibrate. By the time I had grabbed my fingerless gloves from the mantle, the truck stopped in front of my house and the engine was cut. I heard the door shut just as I walked out my own front door and, seeing the mature figure of Angeal just about to start for the door to my house, raised a hand in greeting. "So, you ready to kick some monster ass, Angie?" I laughed, jogging out to meet him. Angeal quirked a grin and offered up a palm for me to high five – which I did with zeal – and answered, "You're almost as bad as Zack on days like this. Must be all that pent up energy."

Drawing out two plane tickets from his pocket, he handed one to me and chuckled, "Don't lose it, I doubt ShinRa wants to explain to the airliner's CEO why one of their elite operatives can kick monsters to the curb every day of week, but can't for the life of her remember to bring her plane ticket." I stuck my tongue out at him, pocketed it and stole a glance at the beat up old Ranger. I raised an eyebrow and said mildly, "Ol' Bessie seems to be a lighter shade of brown today." Angeal put a finger to his lips, smiled slightly, and said simply, "Shh. I didn't feel like washing her. Anyway, hop in. We better get going if we want to make our flight." Obliging, I bounded over to the passenger side of the vehicle, unstrapping my sword first, and opened the door. In the back, Angeal's daily use sword – as he passed on his Buster Sword to Zack anyway – was hung in the gun rack. Interesting use of it, to tell truth. I followed suit and placed mine in the rack below his and then hopped in. Automatically, I buckled myself in, glancing over as Angeal got in on the driver's side and did the same.

As always, I was surprised when his older pickup started up smoothly and without a hitch. As dented and worn as it looked on the outside, I knew that if I were to pop the hood and check inside the engine and all the fittings would be spotless and the battery fresh. Angeal just liked to make people think he owned an older clunker of a rig that was on its last legs when it actually was likely to outlast all of the newer rigs that people bought and then didn't take very good care of. I watched him put the pickup in reverse and in one smooth motion, reversed our direction and began to drive down my driveway towards the airport. Breaking the comfortable silence, I prodded Angeal for more info on this mark. "So, do you think it'll be anything of a challenge? And where exactly is it in the Orofino area?"

He shrugged a broad shoulder at me, but didn't take his eyes from the road. "Don't know, Ahryn, they were pretty vague about the location. As for challenges... doubt fighting it will be a problem, but finding it might be. Thankfully, you're a pretty good tracker. Hope you haven't lost that touch of yours," was my answer. Content, I pulled out my cell phone and flipped it open, reclining the seat slightly so that I could play games in comfort. About 10 minutes later, I felt the pickup slow as we entered the airport. Readjusting my seat so that I was upright again, I peered out curiously at the passing people. I'm sure we caused just as much of a stir for the few people that ceased their bustling to glance at us had on looks of suspicion.

Unlike others, we didn't take the "normal" entryway, but instead headed around to the backdoor. We didn't want the people who were still in the dark to know what we were up to anyway. In fact, I doubted that even the pilots and airliner crew knew exactly who we were. As far as they were concerned, we were just very special guests who were allowed to keep whatever luggage – no matter how odd – with us on the plane and who were to be given private quarters. Angeal pulled us into a parking space close to the backdoor, parking the pickup in another fluid motion.

Turning the engine off, he removed the keys and tucked them safely into his pants pocket. I waited patiently while he got out and carefully removed his sword from the gun rack, slinging it onto his back as soon as it was free. Taking my cue, I removed my own weapon and got out. I shut Bessie's door with a little more force than Angeal approved of, earning myself a reproachful look, and shoved my sheathed sword through the holster on my belt again. Dear Gaia, every time I did this I felt a huge sense of Déjà vu. Another day, another mission, and another time I risked my life for something that had most people would call me crazy for if I tried to explain it to them. Going first like always, Angeal paused to hold the door with his foot while I caught up to him.

Upon our entrance, a smooth voice, I'd guess it belonged to the pilot of the aircraft we were going to board, queried mildly, "You brought your daughter?" Angeal coughed politely, but before he could explain nicely, I intervened with a grumpy, "Shut up. I might be short, but I can still kick ass as well as any other First Class." Angeal sighed quietly and explained, with a pointed glance in my direction, "Ahryn is a bit grumpy before 10:00 AM, please excuse her." Blushing slightly, the pilot bowed quickly. "I apologize, miss." Then, to Angeal, he spoke, "I'm guessing you have your tickets and identification?"

Angeal nodded, withdrawing his wallet and ticket from his left pocket. "Angeal Hewley, SOLDIER, First Class," he announced, offering both to the pilot. After a brief inspection, the pilot nodded and looked to me expectantly. Sighing, I pulled my own ID card from my back pocket and my ticket from a front. "Ahryn Nire, also SOLDIER, First Class." The pilot bobbed his head and took my ticket as well as Angeal's, doffing his cap to reveal a receding hairline. "Many thanks. If you'll follow me, I'll show you to your quarters for the flight," he said cheerfully, started off into the building and eventually to the plane. Putting my ID away, I followed the retreating form of Angeal's back into the hallway and towards my next mission. _So much for going crabbing_, I thought sadly, _and just when I was looking forward to it, too._

END CHAPTER II


	3. Girlfriend

R E C A P

" _Putting my ID away, I followed the retreating form of Angeal's back into the hallway and towards my next mission._ So much for going crabbing,_ I thought sadly, _and just when I was looking forward to it, too. _"_

_Chapter III_

In just two more minutes, the plan would be taking off. Angeal was busily oiling his sword, after giving Ahryn a word that she should do it to her's also, and seemed to be perfectly content with the three and a half hour flight that would take them to get to Lewiston. From there, they would rent a car and drive the last half hour to Orofino. A hotel would be rented there and they would pose as tourists, albeit quite eccentric ones, to further continue their hunt. However, before the actually interesting stuff could start, they would first have to endure the flight to Idaho. For someone like Angeal, this would be quite easy to do as he would most likely read and converse with some of the flight attendants to pass the time. For someone like Ahryn, however, who had grown too accustomed to do what she wanted when she wanted and to endless actions, it was tedious, boring, and far too long of a wait. She hadn't been out on a mission for almost a whole year, so even something as small as taking care of an unruly mark was something she wanted NOW.

Fifteen minutes into the flight and you could already see how much different her and her companion's situations were. While Angeal was reclining calmly and reading one of the many magazines they had been given, Ahryn was tapping her foot irritably and staring out the window with a surly expression. Angeal was relaxed and Ahryn a ball of wound, nervous energy. Thirty minutes in, Ahryn had gotten up and was pacing like a caged tigress, Angeal glancing up only occasionally to see if she was still acting so agitatedly. At length, she picked up a magazine and flopped back down; curling up into the corner of the seat before she attempted to at least skim read the National Geographic she had grabbed. After only a few minutes, however, she growled and snapped it shut, tossing it with perfect aim onto the table in the middle of their almost living room like area.

!~………………………………..~!

For a few short moments, I continued to glare harshly at the magazines that had failed to keep my mind off the long, long wait until we landed. I grabbed my cell and took a glance at the display on the front. Great. It was still another two hours until we, finally, landed in Lewiston. I watched Angeal reading and, noticing it was a small, unmarked leather book, I wondered even more what he could possibly be reading. I doubted it was a Bible, so I half-heartedly wondered if maybe Genesis had pounded enough Loveless into his head that he had taken up reading it too. Course, that didn't sound much like Angeal either, so the mystery of his Little Black Book, would undoubtedly continue to cause me more irritation. My foot occasionally lashing as it was wont to do in times of extreme ire for me, I stared down a single point in the tile floor before at last asking Angeal one of my many questions.

"So," I started, "Why didn't we just fly ourselves over there?" I knew the subject of his wings were a touchy matter, but he knew how I felt about his fluffy likkle angel wings and was too annoyed anyway to care much. Angeal held up a finger to signal he was finishing the page and so I held my grumping until he was finished. When Angeal did speak, it was a wry, "I doubt that people would soon forget seeing two winged SOLDIERs flying over their homes. It's better if we take a plane. However, if you're that bored, you could see if you'd be allowed to jump out and fly the rest of the way on your own."

Much to his dismay, I found _that_ idea to be quite a good one and hopped up immediately to see if I actually could do that. Sure, I might get there about a half hour or forty-five minutes later than him, if I pushed my maximum speed the entire way with few breaks, but it would at least be much more fun than sitting in this hellacious metal bird the entire time. Sure enough, I heard Angeal groan as I made for the door and his rebuke was only a moment later. "Ahryn, I was joking. Come back and be patient. Two hours really isn't that long. What's got you so worked up?"

Reluctantly, I turned to meet his gaze and stalked silent to sit next to him. I really didn't want to talk about why I was in such an unpredictable mood, but he wasn't about to let me get away without talking to him, I could tell. Angeal was like the group's father-figure in a way. Whereas I was usually the one to discipline the recruits, he was oft the one who went among them to soothe ruffled, and sometimes broken, if you get my drift, feathers. He had always been the mediator for everything from squabbles over the last cookie to calming down potentially deadly Genesis vs. whoever fights. While it was good to have him around during those times, right about now I was kind of dreading the first class-to-first class talk we were bound to be about to have.

I sat down tiredly, placing my head in my hands. In response, Angeal leaned forward and rest his elbows on his knees, lacing his fingers together with another of those endlessly patient looks. Even more reluctantly, I started to speak, then stopped. Finally, I voiced exactly why I didn't want to talk. "People don't listen to me when I try to tell them things." Simple answer to describe a not-so-simple problem. See, I tended to get this queasy feeling in my gut, kind of like when you've got the runs or ate bad food or are about to puke, but more like its just churning with dread, and I can just tell _something _is going to happen.

Angeal frowned a tiny bit and then replied, "I'm not going to dismiss whatever you tell me as soon as I hear it, Ahryn. I'll give it thought." I sighed softly, thinking over how to best word my next sentence. Unfortunately for me, my mind was so preoccupied with the feeling my stomach was giving me that I couldn't concentrate so I just put it as blunt- and straightforwardly as I could. "You already know my reactions are fueled by instinct alone, right? That's why I'm good at fighting logical people – I'm unpredictable. So will you trust my instincts when they say something is going to happen? I get this feeling in my gut as if they're being churned like cream into butter and I _know_ it's portentous," I said hurriedly, shifting uneasily. True to his word, Angeal said nothing, but leaned back into his seat and crossed his arms. His bright mako eyes closed and brow furrowed a little. To give him a little time to digest the information, I began to get up, but he waved me back to my seat. Uncomfortable just waiting, I looked out at the rather boring skyscape through one of those little windows they have in airplanes. Normally I found the view over the tops of the clouds breath taking, but today it was slightly stormy and grey as if to reflect my inner turmoil and dull mood.

After another long moment of silence, Angeal spoke up, "Good or bad?" It took a moment to realize he was asking if the something I felt meant good or bad stuff was going to happen. I shook my head slowly and mumbled, rather disheartened, "I don't know, Angeal. Wish I did, but I don't."

Angeal sighed back at me and replied with a cryptic, "There are a lot of things we don't know, but at least we can be on our guard if your instincts tell you somethings going to happen." I glanced at him, surprised by the response. He... believed me? "You believe me, Ang?" I queried, curiosity begging to know why someone finally believed my instinctual fear of an impending event. Angeal nodded and chuckled amusedly, "I believe you, Ahryn. You've got a knack for things that rely on instincts. I don't see that happen often anymore in SOLDIER. We're trained to fight in orderly, precise attacks that limit our ability to think on our own. Your gutsy, reckless style that relies sheerly on your own instincts and reflexes, as well as tricks, is a breath of fresh air. Might not always be the smartest way to fight, but you will always stand out because of it. Feeling a bit better now that you've gotten that stuff of your chest, or is there more?"

I shifted slightly, before I decided I might as well spill all of it. "Well," I began, "I'm worried about reuniting with my parents. Cause, well, I'm not exactly on best terms with my dad and I don't know how my mom will react." Angeal hmm'd thoughtfully and commented ironically, "Seems very few of us _do _have good relations with our parents." I nodded my agreement and leaned back, scrunching up against the seat so that I was at least semi-comfortable.

To my surprise, Angeal dropped the topic for the day and looked at me oddly, "Are you so preoccupied with things you would leave your weapon unattended? You're not a recruit or rookie any longer, Ahryn, you should think of those things." His words were a rebuttal I had heard often before, but usually not directed at me. Now I dipped my head in submission at the disappointed tone, standing quickly and retrieving my weapon from my previous seat. It wasn't like I expected to be attacked on the plane, but Angeal was right – I had been trained better than that and should be ready at all times. When I had sat back down next to him, Angeal had out the untitled black book and I couldn't hide my horror as I said, "Please tell me that isn't Loveless."

The laughter that followed took several seconds for the last fit of snickers and chuckles to subside and Angie could explain to me what it was. "No, no, you can relax, Ahryn – I haven't gone to the dark side. It's actually a journal or record of my hunts. I was rereading my previous entries. I have one from my mid-teens when I was sent out as recruit to hunt a simple Rank I mark and ended up with a broken arm. I'll never understand how I let that happen," he mused, a light hearted smile on his face as he recounted past experiences.

I grinned back and, teasing my own younger, stupider self, asked, "Like the time I was fresh out of the tank and fell for the oldest trick in the book – the oh-mai-gawd-what's-that? ploy – and ended up getting smacked in the forehead by one that Second Class, Will Something-or-another I think it was?"

Angeal snorted, "That had to be the best thing I have ever watched happen to a recruit. You and he were scrapping it out and all the sudden he points over at the stairs and you immediately started staring at it. Soon as you did that, he called you back and floored you. Genesis got a kick out of that, I had to forbid him from teasing you about it endlessly. That was back when you were still pretending to be male, thankfully, so when you "switched" genders, it threw him off. I wonder if he knows that it was you who was the silly recruit who got nailed."

I shrugged and replied cheerfully, "If he does, he should remember that this "recruit" will be more than happy to get Zack to help her ambush him in the first heavy snowfall we get." Oh, the stories I could tell about all of those epic wars we had in the snow. And, without fail, Genesis would always shriek like a little girl the first ambush of the season. It was something no one dared to miss for fear of not being able to almost suffocate with laughter. Last time, I even swore I saw Seph' grin a bit. I still haven't persuaded the others that I saw him do it, but I know he can and did smile in public that one time. Swear on Jenova's head!

There was a brief click as someone began to open the door to our cabin, Angeal turning his head swiftly as I stood up out of habit. I relaxed a bit when it was only one of the flight attendants. From her nervous posture and the way her eyes glanced around, I could tell she wasn't much of a threat. "Yes?" I asked, tilting my head. The flighty, pun totally intended, woman flinched at my voice, smoothing down her skirt skittishly before chattering, "I was told to come to your compartment and ask if you wanted anything. I have menus with me if you'd like to order a meal of some sort. We have most drinks on board as well." Normally, we were allowed to eat light meals on the plane, but nothing heavy. However, that was when I was in active duty in actual ShinRa aircraft and, now that I had more or less retired due to the lack of a war ShinRa was involved in, I didn't know if the same rules applied to aircraft not operated by ShinRa troops. I glanced at Angeal for confirmation and he shrugged back.

"A small water would be appreciated," he called smoothly to the woman who curtsied awkwardly in her skirt. The movement almost made me burst into laughter instantly, but I managed, just barely, to mask it and prevent a bout of snickers from escaping. "The same for you, ma'am?" I hesitated and then nodded my thanks to the serving girl, still not trusting myself to speak. Once she had turned, closed the door, and her clicking footsteps had faded, I let my withheld laughter bubble out in fits of cackles and snickers. Angeal scowled at my display of childish laughter, but I didn't care. Grinning widely, I mimed the girl's curtsy and batted my eyelashes. Angeal still didn't seem amused, so I switched to the whining technique.

"Aww, c'mon, Angie, you should've seen her face when you asked for a cup of water. It was priceless – you could've had her eating out of your hand if you wanted," I complained, flopping down cross legged on the floor in front of the older SOLDIER. I was just about to launch another complaint when I heard those tapping footsteps again and silenced myself for fear of getting another rebuttal. When the attendant entered, I noticed immediately that she had taken a moment to fix her hair and, sniffing suspiciously as she came closer, had even put on perfume. Oh, this was _good._ I glanced again at Angeal, who had straightened in his seat and had adopted an almost emotionless look, before I was forced to put on a kindly face for the air head and prepare take my drink with a smile. As soon as she had focused on Angeal and not my slightly suspicious-seeming self, I began to put on my best observation eyes and see just how taken she was for him.

"Here you are, sir. Is there anything else I could do for you?" She even leaned over far enough for Ang to get more than his share of a view of her cleavage. While her back was to me, I slipped another Cheshire grin at Angeal, eyes dancing as I let a little more of their mako coloring escape. Normally, I was pretty strict with keeping them to my previous, hazel coloration, but today I was feeling frisky. And it was only Angeal who would really see them; it wasn't like he would throw a fuss over them. His own eyes were just like mine, save for the fact his didn't switch to a slit pupil at the worst moments. Unfortunately, he ignored my look of glee and said firmly to the woman, "No, that is all, thank you." I almost swore she wilted when he said that, but didn't press her luck. It was only after she had left for the second time that I noticed something rather amusing.

"Hey, Angeal, your girlfriend forgot my water," I stated blankly. Groaning, he put a hand over his eyes and growled, "For Gaia's sake, Ahryn, she is not my girlfriend. I can't believe I had the rotten luck to be placed on this same plane with that same attendant." I hooted with laughter, flopping down on the floor. "This has happened _**twice?**_You meanie, Angeal. You could at least throw her a bone or tell her you have the hots for Genesis," I teased. I watched curiously as Angeal said nothing, but took a magazine, rolled it up, and returned his stare to me. I had just opened my mouth to ask what he was doing, but my question was soon answered as with a resounding THWACK! as I was disciplined like a misbehaving puppy.

I yelped, scooting myself backwards with my hands over my head as I dodged, and received, several more swats. Sulking, I scurried back to my own seat and peered warily over the arm at Angeal. Curses, foiled again. However, I did hopefully poke my head up and, putting a serious face on, said, "But really, she didn't bring my water. Can I have a drink of yours?" Despite the heavy, I-am-getting-annoyed-please-let-this-trip-end-soon sigh he let out, I still got a drink of his water.

END CHAPTER III


	4. Old Wounds

R E C A P

" _Despite the heavy, I-am-getting-annoyed-please-let-this-trip-end-soon sigh he let out, I still got a drink of his water. "_

_Chapter IV_

The Lewiston airport wasn't as busy as the previous one, but people still hustled and bustled about. It was set atop one of the high hills in the city and if you looked over the edge of the parking lot, you could see all of Lewiston spread out before you. It was warm, almost 85 and climbing since it was summer, and by the early afternoon it would be up in the 90's. All around, families were reuniting as members stepped off the plane and rushed towards their relatives. Friends, new and old, embraced as they spotted each other walking through the throngs of people. Children squealed happily, parents chased after them… All in all, the place was utter chaos – just how Ahryn liked things. Course, she did feel rather claustrophobic after living pretty much alone for the past three months or so.

In the outer area, a car waited for them. It was a nondescript jeep, dull grey, with good tires that looked out of place on such a weathered rig. Little did anyone that walked past know, however, it was really a reinforced, monster hunting beast that could take a licking and keep on ticking, just like Timex watches. Special metal alloys protected the sides and the roll bars were made of mako-enhanced steel. Hidden underneath the paneling in the back was a high powered machine gun for those hard-to-finish marks. Combine that with many other gadgets and you had one top of the line vehicle. It was really overkill for a Rank I mark, as if someone in ShinRa was mocking the two semi-retired First Class. Regardless of the overkill it was, the vehicle would get them were they needed to go and, if all else somehow failed, they could always take to the skies on wings of jet and silver.

!~………………………………..~!

I stretched happily, looking up from where I had cat napped while waiting for the plane to land, and obediently fastened my seat belts while we finished heading down. I had expected it to have some sort of a hitch in things, but it had gone more or less smoothly. Sure, I still had a slight headache from those less than gentle swats Angeal had delivered, but nothing major had cropped up. Finally, the FASTEN SEATBELTS light extinguished and we, as well as the other passengers, were given the go ahead to calmly exit the plane. But, before we could do that, there was something else we would need to attend to. Fishing around in my leg pocket, I pulled out the smallest of the three materia I carried in that spot. It was a healthy shade of teal, leaning more to the green side of the spectrum, and it served a very odd purpose. A few years back, ShinRa had developed a new type of materia that worked to cast an illusion over the wearer to alter their appearance and, if enough energy was fed into it, could even "blur" people's memories so that they wouldn't remember if something was leaked to them. With this, we could merge seamlessly with the normal side of this world and continue operations without the press hounding us.

"So, Ang, who you going to be this time? Blond hair, blue eyes surfer boy?" My question was met with an eye roll and a blunt, "We are no where _near_ the ocean anymore, Ahryn. You need to stop hanging around Zack; he's rubbing off on you." I blushed faintly and crossed my arms, sulking as I huffed, "Shut up! It's early!" With a chuckle, I looked up and wasn't surprised to not see a normal Angeal anymore. Of course, after I squeezed my own materia, visualized firmly what I wanted, and spread my arms to show off my new 'do, I couldn't say I looked like myself either.

I had dressed myself with short, spiky mahogany hair that had strawberry blond roots showing. Black lipstick, ripped jeans with a black-with-white-stars belt, and an AC/DC tank completed my don't-f!ck-with-me punk look. Opposite of me, Angeal hadn't gone for a totally different self. He just changed his SOLDIER uniform into a semi-formal white button down shirt, loose black jeans, and a black belt. Nothing fancy, nothing outstanding. I scuffed my "sandal" on the floor and huffed, "One of these days, Ang, I'm going to dress you up in something radical like bright green chocobo spikes with multiple facial piercings." Without waiting for his answer, I grabbed my sword, edited it to look like an iPod and shoved it into my belt, and dashed off towards the exit. At a much slower pace, Angeal followed me with his own wrist-watch sword.

Once outside the airplane, I immediately raced away into the crowd, dodging people and objects at a speed I would never have been able to reach without mako treatment. I knew people were gawking at me, but I didn't care. I hadn't been in these parts for years and I wanted to see if anything had changed. Much to my disappointment, however, as I reached the edge of the parking lot and stared out across Lewiston, I saw that it had really _not_ changed since I had last visited the area. Wal-Mart, Kmart, Albertsons, and the music-store-whose-name-I-couldn't-remember were still on Thaine, Rosses and the various others were still on the still side branches of Thaine and, if I looked waaaay out across the other side of the "valley", I could see the movie theater.

I felt a soft _ping_ against my mind and, immediately sensing it was Angeal, sent my own signal back at him. It really was like radar if you thought about it and, fleetingly, I wondered if it was the extremely volatile Jenova cells in our bodies that let us find each other. As far as I knew, only Angeal, Sephiroth, Genesis, and I were able to _ping_, but I had been able to mentally contact Zack and Cloud for short periods of time if I initiated the conversation. Of course, maybe it was practice that defined that and all SOLDIERs were, with enough training, able to _ping_. Someday, I'd have to hunt down Hojo in the Lifestream and wring the secrets out of his disgusting mind. Bastard.

In the middle of my brooding, I finally heard footsteps behind me, but, unfortunately, they were not Angeal's. Suspicion turned to High, I watched the approaching man cautiously. He walked with a swagger in his step and my well-oiled brain took in the punk clothes (obviously designer) and mop of black hair with the single of thought of _Oh __**joy**_. I knew exactly where this was going. Unfailingly, as soon as I dressed myself as something I wasn't, smarmy guys were attracted to the slight sense of difference the materia caused like flies to honey. I watched him until he was only a few feet from me and then asked in my most irritable, snarky tone, "Can I help you?" His answer was a smirk and to approach closer so he could lean up against the railing set into the asphalt to prevent people from falling downhill. More than a little disgruntled, I leaned back against my own section of railing and snapped, "If there's nothing you want then, please, allow me to tell you were to go." This time, I got a laugh and an offer of a smoke, which I declined with a scowl, before the sleazy rich kid lit up and began puffing on the cigarette.

"Y'know, you aren't half bad looking. Better than those pussy chicks that haven't got a sliver of backbone to their name," he started, giving me a sideways look. Right then, I had an uncontrollable urge to beat the guy senseless with a two-by-four. Instead, I gritted my teeth and managed to growl, "I'm taken, so shove off." He started laughing again, but this time, scooted a little to close to me for my taste. Playing nice this time instead of giving him a kick to the groin like I did to most unwelcome suitors, I instead turned and bared my teeth at him, snarling low in my throat. "Get the fuck out," I hissed venomously, putting all the creepy, sadistic hate I could muster from the Jenova cells implanted into my body into my words. Mr. I'm-Too-Stupid-For-My-Own-Good simply grinned and tried to cup my face with his hand. As I reacted, I caught a glimpse of a none-too-pleased Angeal jogging towards us, but I ignored his warning stare as I proceeded to show this guy just what I was capable of.

I twisted my head, teeth snapping closed over his pinkie finger. The metallic taste of blood blossomed in my mouth, but I spit it out as I let go just as fast I had snapped. While his face contorted in pain, I was already grabbing him by the arm and flinging my somewhat small weight around. Five foot and four inches I might be, but I was no dainty little princess! With a well-placed swing of my hips and a jerk of my arms, I flung the guy behind me and onto the ground while using the momentum to swing myself around to face him on the ground. He scrambled to his feet and bristled back at me, matching my now mako-eyed stare with a fierce, though almost scared, look of his own. I was three-fourths of my way into attacking again, but, fortunately for chicken shit over there, Mr. Maturity-and-Honor grabbed my arm, slung me over his shoulder, and began to cart me off. I spat numerous curses at him as well Sleazy, but the didn't stop Angeal as he continued to walk towards the parked car. I cooled off pretty fast, but I guess I wasn't trustworthy enough because Angeal didn't let me off his shoulder until he had the door of the jeep open and had made sure she wasn't in a surly mood still. Then he plopped me down onto the asphalt and began the lecture I knew was going to happen.

"Ahryn Nire, this is an undercover mission. Stop paying attention to random males and focus," Angeal started, but I cut him off. I prodded him in the chest, glaring up at the 230 pound, 6' 1" First Class Angeal Hewley with all of my 135 pound, 5' 4" female might. "So you're telling me, Mr. Hewley, that I'm supposed to let some rich kid bastard _make out with me_? I. Don't. Think. So. I will kick the kid's ass to the curb, teach him a lesson or two about not underestimating someone because they're far shorter and lighter than you, and wail on him some more. So don't tell me not to kick some scrawny, not-even-recruit-level buttocks because, essentially, that's what my job is."

Without another word, I turned, glanced quickly at the inside of the car, cursing mentally because it was a stick and I that meant I wasn't able to drive – Angeal had let me drive a stick once, but after I nearly rolled backwards into someone while starting on a hill, he wasn't keen to let me drive a stick again. Wasn't my fault I hadn't gotten a lot of chances to perfect my driving in a manual before then. – and vaulted the door and driver's seat so that I was able to flop down in the passenger side. On the outside of the jeep, Angeal massaged the bridge of his nose, breathing deeply. I figured he must've been praying to whomever for enough patience to deal with my on-edge attitude. Whatever he was doing, it had to have worked, for he got into the Monster Rig and started her up.

"Relax, Ahryn, or this will be miserable for both of us. I know you're very touchy about things like that, but take into consideration that you don't appear to be taken," I heard him begin, words obviously carefully chosen to avoid making my already frazzled nerves flare again. I sighed and unconsciously rubbed my right arm, staring blankly down at the floor mat. Ang had a point there. Maybe I should buy a little silver band and wear it on my ring finger. Certainly would make things a little easier for everyone. I glanced up, willing to myself see that one figure I yearned for the most staring at me across the parking lot, and was again disappointed when the only people I saw were an elderly couple walking with their grandchild.

The sight of such a happy trio made my heart ache more, so I quickly looked away and tried not to think of the past. He had promised he would come back, but it had already been almost a year and a half... I sighed softly and gazed over sorrowfully at Angeal. "Let's go, Ang. We've got a half hour's drive and a hard hunt before us. Might as well get started," I murmured, buckling my seatbelt and resting my head on top of my right elbow which was on top of the door. I hoped with all my pained heart would return soon. Our group wasn't complete with one member MIA. My eyes drifted sideways as Angeal began to drive towards the exit, their hazel coloring turning briefly blue-green as I gazed at the place my afflicted bicep.

He'd be back. He didn't break promises.

!~………………………………..~!

Their route was laid out before them – down Thaine, across the Snake River, down the river road, and turn off to Orofino. There would, hopefully, be no problems with their brief, 35 minute trip between Point A and Point B, but who could foresee what the future would hold? The river road was notoriously twisty, but all that meant was that Ahryn would have to watch the road lest she be inflicted with a bout of motion sickness. After reaching Orofino, they would check into their hotel and run up to Dworshack. From there, they would meet up with an informant who had been watching the area for the past week. The informant would give them all the current information on Thextera which would, hopefully, give Ahryn and Angeal a clue on where to look for the mark.

The surrounding countryside was a mixture of steep, unforgiving bluffs, densely forested hills, and rangeland filled with tall, browning grass. Towards the river at the center of the valley, things flattened out and became much greener. Lush grass mixed with pine trees and pebbled streambeds, the wildlife teeming within the green shadows. Mosquitoes buzzed through the air, songbirds warbled, and yearling deer pranced behind their skittish mothers. Ahryn would have loved the place if it hadn't been such dry heat and the air so tasteless and parched. She was accustomed to the mildly humid heat and the salty tang in the air, the stark difference between Charleston, Oregon and the Orofino area in Idaho making her yearn for her own house.

But as Angeal had said many times before, she needed to put her mission first rather than her own preferences.

!~………………………………..~!

We were just about to come into the outskirts of Orofino, I knew this from experience as well as by seeing the first house slide into view, and from the look on my face, Angeal must've seen how glad I would be to get out of the car for a while for he chuckled and reached over to turn on the radio. I cringed and shook my head. "If you want any decent music, Ang, you'll turn on the satellite radio instead. People around here like worship songs and country," was my forewarning. Upon hearing this, he did indeed turn on the Sirius Satellite Radio instead of the normal kind. Before he could pick a station, however, I pressed for channel 019 and grinned back at the reproachful face Angeal gave me. It was my turn to pick a channel, after all, and it wasn't like our music tastes clashed completely. Sure, he might prefer bluesy classic rock and I might prefer it to be a bit more punkin', but it was similar enough that we wouldn't bicker over something small.

The way to Orofino passed in relative silence, Angeal taking in the new landscape and me refreshing my memories of the place. Turtle Beach was a familiar sight and as we passed, a group of children turned and chased one another into the shallows where they floundered and were raucous. Their mothers sat together, chilling (no pun intended) in the warm sunlight and chattering about their hyperactive kids. I had always hated making small talk about things like that – it really wasn't that interesting after all. Then the scene at the beach ended as we swooped around a turn and all was silent save for the whooshing of the wind and the slapping sounds my hair was making in the wind. To tell truth, driving around the corners like this made me feel odd. Normally when I was making tight turns, my whole body was constantly adjusting and readjusting itself for optimal flight – just sitting there looking bored had me feeling more than a little off.

I would still have preferred to fly the rest of the way to Orofino – heck, it would even be faster than driving this bloody rig, but I knew Angeal would keep me on the ground even if it meant he had to unfurl his own wings to catch me. For such a big guy, he was pretty darn fast in the air. 'Course, Genesis was faster. The last time I had raced him, I lost so badly I hadn't wanted to show my face for a week. I didn't know if Sephiroth could beat him either – I had never, and doubted I ever would, see Seph race _anyone_. It was just too… outlandish to think he would race Genesis for anything. Unless, of course, it was a race to see who got dibs on Hojo's head. I had already claimed dibs, but I didn't doubt that they wouldn't snap up any chance they were offered to take him out just because I wanted kill rights.

My musing was interrupted as, finally, Angeal began to slow the vehicle and then turn across and onto the bridge that led to Orofino. As always, the city had a cramped, closed-in feeling with its narrow streets and smushed buildings. As we began to cruise down Main Street, Angeal glanced over at me and had just began to question where our hotel was when the spacious, fancy hotel blossomed into view. He smoothly turned right and chose a not-too-cramped spot to park. He parallel parked a bit too slowly for my taste so I, contrary to his order to remain inconspicuous, leapt out of my seat while he was still parking.

I flashed a cheeky smile his way and wandered over to the nearest steps and plunked myself down. A few seconds later, the engine of our ride was cut and Angeal stepped cautiously out of his door, being sure to glance both ways, and began to cross the street. Apparently, for my little stunt, he had chosen the I-will-now-proceed-to-leave-you-behind-in-the-dust-if-you-don't-hurry-up punishment and I wasted no time in following him.

END CHAPTER IV


	5. Crime Scene Investigation

R E C A P

" _Apparently, for my little stunt, he had chosen the I-will-now-proceed-to-leave-you-behind-in-the-dust-if-you-don't-hurry-up punishment and I wasted no time in following him. "_

_Chapter V_

The hotel was spick and span, as they said, and tidied up nicely. One would have expected ShinRa to have booked them an elaborate hotel filled with servants and cleaning crews, but, surprisingly, they had just settled for classy and nothing more. The floor was free of dust and mud, but was not the type of tile polished so brightly that you could see yourself. The cream walls were accented with decorations of muted orange, reds, and burgundy, even a few spots of blue here and there. All and all, it was quiet a nice place for a home away from home. Of course, she knew this would not stop her from pining away for her own bed, her own sheets, her own blankets, and everything else contained within Ahryn's household.

There were a few people in the entry room, some getting a late morning cup of coffee or breakfast and others checking in/out, while most were out and about dealing with daily affairs. For the most part, the spacious room with its comfy chairs and many magazines was beginning to thin out its population as it approached midday. This would suit the two SOLDIERs fine, the less people who stopped to gawk at them the better. Of course, they could have easily avoided this by at least somewhat matching each other's attire. On the other hand, however, that would have been totally opposite of their normal attitudes, or at least of Ahryn's.

Behind the receptionist's desk, a mid-30's woman clacked hastily on her keyboard, a well-chewed pen clamped between her teeth as her eyebrows repeatedly furrowed and relaxed. Her hair, which was a glossy brown, was done up in a neat bun, two hair sticks stabbed through it. Her uniform was the standard white-blouse-and-black-skirt hotels required, the nondescript name tag reading "Anna". Overall, nothing was out of ordinary within.

!~………………………………..~!

Despite the hotel looking calm, unthreatening place, I made a routine mental sweep of the area. I noted Angeal doing the same, his sixth sense brushing against my conscious was he took stock of the surroundings. While I waited somewhat impatiently by the newspaper rack, scanning the headlines for anything out of the ordinary, Angeal glided up to the receptionist to begin checking us in. ShinRa would be filtering out potentially dangerous news, I knew, they wouldn't be able to cover up _everything_ that might be related to the mark we were hunting. Sadly, the only thing I saw of noteworthiness was a break in that occurred in a local neighborhood. While that might have had something to do with Thextera, I doubted it and dismissed the accident from my mind.

Just as I was beginning to wonder when Angeal would get the keys – or cards – to our room, he stepped around beside me and offered me one of the two slide keys we had been given. "Anything?" he asked softly. I shook my head and asked back, "What room did we get?" I moved off towards the hallway, Angeal following, as we kept up a normal, relaxed conversation of meaningless information. I didn't know why he was acting so on edge, but I found it best to play along. Once inside the room, which happened to be Number 21, I closed the door swiftly behind us, stepped into the bathroom, switched on the horrendously loud fan, and followed him to the window. I was still confused about all this, but I knew from past happenings that we must've been followed. By whom, I had no clue, but I trusted Angeal's judgment on the matter and would get an answer soon enough.

Angeal turned to face me, his teal eyes glancing around the room several times before he finally appeared satisfied. "The receptionist isn't as foolish as one might think," he grumbled to me. "She was quite suspicious of us, even though I said that you were my renegade sister I was taking to live up in Cottonwood with the nuns. You'll have to remember to tow that story well if we're going to have things go smoothly." I snorted with unsuppressed laughter at this news. "With the _nuns?_" I asked incredulously. "You can't be serious! I have to _pretend_ to hate you and my family because you're going to send me to live with _nuns?_"

For a moment, Angeal didn't say anything, but furrowed his brows. "Will that be a problem?" he asked after a brief moment of silence. After letting out a short noise of ire, I complained, "That exactly my point! It's _easy_ to pretend I hate you because I have to go live at a nunnery. When do I get a challenging disguise?" My whining was interrupted as Angeal sighed heavily and asked in a resigned tone, "Do you want some cheese with that whine?" In response to his mild sarcasm I stuck out my tongue and went to go turn off the fan in the bathroom we no longer needed to conceal our voices.

!~………………………………..~!

It was nearing 5PM now, but as it was summer, the sun was still shining brightly outside and night did not pose a hindrance to their quest. The local teenagers were roaming the streets by now, flirting and cavorting, and their hollow laughter filled the streets with mocking echoes. After a moment, there was a squeal as someone was startled, then more laughter. The adolescents darted away after this, returning to the suburbs outside of Orofino where they could be granted more freedom action away from the prying eyes of parents.

Atop the roof, a hummingbird perched delicately, flinching and jolting at every loud noise. Beneath him, two figures emerged from the hotel – one calm and mature, the other screaming every foul word she knew at him. These sounds, along with the slam of a door, caused the flighty bird to flee, his wings buzzing loudly as he sped away to a quieter roost.

!~………………………………..~!

"How could you agree to send me to a f!cking nunnery!" I screamed, stomping my foot. Angeal, going under the alias of Arnold while I went as Elma, gave me a glowering look. "I told you already! It was _Mom_ and _Dad's_ orders, Sis! Besides, they're right, you need to curb more than a few of your wild tendencies. Just look at yourself, you've got at least 10 piercings and three tattoos," he snapped. I snarled back, pushing my way past him and into his pickup. As I slung open the door, knowing that he would later sit there and nurse the hinges to make sure I hadn't harmed his baby, I shrieked, "Twelve and two, thank you! And at least _I _have enough independence to go against what _they_ want us to be like! You're just a spineless pansy who follows orders mindlessly! Sometimes it sickens me to be your sister!" I slammed the door shut and buckled myself in without another word.

Feigning a look of pain, Angeal hunched up his shoulders, slipped quietly to the driver's side of the Monsta Rig, got in, and started it up silently. We continued the cold-shoulder-and-butt-hurt act until we were out of sight of the hotel. Then, I glanced over at him and said apologetically, "Sorry I slammed the door, Angie. I feel bad for yelling at you, even if was an act." Angeal didn't reply for a moment as he focused his attention on navigating the busy traffic, but as soon as we had turned off on the road that led to Dworshack, he replied wryly, "It's alright. It was, however, a very convincing farce. Those years in Drama must've given you a good base on acting – I almost believed you really were ticked off at me!"

I grinned sheepishly at that comment; I hadn't meant to sound so convincing. Still, thinking it over, it was probably best if it was that way. The more convincing our act was, the more likely we would be able to slip through unnoticed. Stupid people over here, they were too paranoid for their own good. Too bad we couldn't just come out and tell them, "Dude, shut the hell up! We're here to kick this fiend who would _happily _eat you for dinner. Step aside and let us SOLDIERs deal with the issue." Okay, so maybe that sounded a little corny... Alright, so it was _really_ corny and needs to be seriously reworded! But still, thwacking them over the head with the STFUN00B-bat would be a heck of an easier solution to our problems we had remaining undercover.

An abrupt halt of the Jeep made me cease the train of thought I had going and I had scarcely opened my mouth to ask what the heck when Angeal jumped ship and charged up the hill to stare at a spot on the ground. For a moment my jaws just kind of flapped in the wind, but then I, too, jumped out of the Jeep and bounded up the hill to see what he saw. As I arrived, Angeal took his phone out of his pants pocket and snapped a quick photo of the ground. I glanced down and then squatted to get a better look at the print before me.

The indentation was as large as both of my hands spread out and had five digits instead of the usual four canines left. Without a doubt, this was a print made by the very creature we sought. However, it was obviously also quite old as it was no longer crisp and sharp like a fresh print. If I had to guess, I'd place it at a week and a half old, give or take a few days depending on the weather in the area. I peered up at the father-figure standing over me as he quickly saved, emailed the picture to our contact here, and did who knows what else on his phone. "Hey Angeal, how'd you spot this track?" Angeal chuckled and replied amusedly, "You're loosing your touch, Ahryn – look around you!"

I did as was asked and, upon seeing the surrounding terrain, could've kicked myself for my stupidity. Broken branches and a clear path – which was almost a foot wider than a deer trail should be – was the location of the print. Well, duuuh, Ahryn! I totes* just missed the most obvious signs that something big, bad, and ugly tromped through here on a regular or semi-regular basis. The reservoir was probably only about two miles from us and, just to be sure, I checked my phone to ascertain that the pathway went the way I thought it would. Sure enough, the path lined up in a near-perfect line in the direction of the reservoir and I'd bet my bottom dollar that Thextera used this trail as a mean to get to and from Dworshack while it was in the area.

"Do you want to set up a trap along here?" I asked as I stood, knees popping. Angeal paced farther along the trail and continued to survey the surrounding area, mature eyes sizing up the area. I turned my own attention to the pathway, absently picking at a tuft of hair lodged in the crack of a broken tree limb. It was colored bright russet with a few black hairs, so I pocketed it for shits and giggles; I always seemed to end up snatching something to remember a mission by anyway. Angeal's boots crunched noisily on some plant matter scattered about, so I glanced up to give him a pointed look. He held up his hand swiftly, indicating I should hold silent. Immediately, I _ping_'d the surrounding area, senses turned up on high alert. I could feel a slight presence north of us, but it was murky and darted out of my range before I could say something about it.

"No, I don't think a trap here would do any good. You felt something, as did I, so if that presence was what I think it was, then Thextera already knows we're here. It's not stupid, so I doubt it will return to this trail any time soon," Angie finally answered, voice tinged with wariness. I knew we wouldn't be leaving our weapons in the car again anytime soon. Things were getting down to serious business. "Let's head the rest of the way up to Dworshack. I doubt we'll find any sign of Thextera again, but we still need to gather what information our contact can give us." I was all too ready to head back to the Jeep now, the feeling that someone was watching us too much of a strain on my already taut nerves. Jittery and suspicious, I led the way back down the hillside, glad that Angeal was in back of me so I didn't need to worry about something pouncing on me from behind. Jeez, was my imagination overreacting or what?

While driving the last few miles to the dam, I mused over several questions I had dredged up. When I had thought them over sufficiently, I decided they were polished enough to ask. "Hey Angieee… If Thextera is smart enough to sense us, somehow, and knows to avoid the place we were, how are we going to get near enough to kill it? And, judging by the size of the track, it's a good seven or eight foot tall and maybe… eight hundred pounds heavy, so how do people keep missing it? ShinRa keeping it all hush-hush?" Angeal pulled into one of the parking spots, glanced around and put the jeep into neutral so he wouldn't have to keep his foot on the clutch, and put on the emergency brake.

"I don't know, Ahryn. It all depends on what Mr. Info gives us to go on. If there doesn't seem to be a way for us to hunt him successfully, we might have to resort to more serious measures," he stated plainly. "As for ShinRa keeping Thextera's presence hush-hush, well, what else would ShinRa do? They won't announce anything about the company until they're sure of what's going to happen in regards to their General or until they know they'll be able to get away with the SOLDIER treatment process. Of course, I don't know if I would worry more about the recruits having to deal with you or them being put in the tanks."

I snorted derisively at that last comment. "I should think they need to fear me more since I'm the one who can and will break something if they're little shit heads. I'm proud to say I _still_ have people ask me if I really did break something on every recruit that one year the asshole Mitch, I think his name was, decided to start a little rebellion. 'Course, most of it was just broken fingers or wrists or noses, nothing serious," I recalled cheerfully. Training the recruits was my little niche at ShinRa and nothing made me happier than to see my little ducklings turn into sharp fighters. Sometimes, things got a little rough in there and I had to use drastic measures to get them to understand I hadn't gotten to First Class just by acting as a plaything. No one messed with Ahryn Nire, self-proclaimed Queen of Snowball-wars!

Angeal laughed and in the end we both ended up sharing jokes and getting a good kick out of the past. Out laughter ceased when an older white Toyota pickup pulled up beside us, the thin, wiry man behind the wheel giving us a knowing look. He flashed us a small ID card and we did the same in return. All three of us got out of cars and mingled, exchanging brief pleasantries before our little group headed out onto the dam. The concrete barrier was devoid of people save for a few sprinklings of tourists minding their own business. Most others were out on the reservoir swimming, fishing, or boating. Far out in the distance, I even saw one of those Rent-a-Houseboats and stared enviously at them. I had always wanted to go on a houseboat, but I never got a chance.

As we talked with out informant, I learned that his name was Lance and he had moved here from ShinRa's HQ in NYC just a few years ago due to the city's pollution affecting his health. I couldn't blame him really. My own slight asthma became pronounced while in NYC and it got so bad once that I had to be given a purifying materia to cleanse the air I breathed. Since then, I tried to keep to my corner of the Oregon coast instead of the big city. He then told us about his wife, children and grandchild, and where he had lived before moving to NYC and then to Idaho. One more piece of bullshit, his occupation besides an informant, and it seemed we were finally going to get to the meat of the issue with Lance.

"Tell us about this "wolf" if you would, Mr. Lance,' Angeal said smoothly after checking to make sure no one was listening to us. "We saw a track of it as we drove us the mountain, but if it was in the area, it fled when it sensed our presence." Lance wrung his hands anxiously, dark eyes darting about warily. Apparently, being an informant for ShinRa was taxing on his thin nerves and made the rabbit-like fellow even more skittish. I could almost feel sorry for him, having to live in this area like he was and being, technically, a "government" informant – since I was pretty damn sure ShinRa had more than a little to do with what went on up there – in this area where everyone was so damn _paranoid_ that you couldn't help but wonder if they were on something. I suppose I should mention that Orofino did, indeed, have a psychiatric ward in town; hence the school's sports teams being called the Orofino "Maniacs".

"Well, he's a big brute, Sir, maybe two feet taller than you at the shoulder. Weird coloring too, like he's been put together using skins from all different creatures. Some spotted and golden colored, bright blue, dozens of different shades. Yer company has been keepin' a good hold on the newspapers and such, if you don't mind me saying, Sir, and it's a good thing because it'd be hell if some hunter lived and told people about it," Lance rambled and then continued. "But, y'see, most of the people what been killed by him didn't just get off'd randomly. Apparently, they put a shot or two in him which frightened the beast off when they first saw him. Then, Thextera would come back for them while they weren't watching. Got a vengeful streak a mile wide, he does, and it's down right dangerous since he's so cunning. If you were planning to hunt him, I'd say you'd need to wound him a bit, let him run off, then finish him when he came back to get ya."

Angeal bobbed his head pleasantly while listening to the old man's rambling. For all his lean, sharp looks, Lance certainly wasn't one to get right down to the point and it really was beginning to grate on my nerves. Thankfully, just as I was about ready to stomp my foot and scream, both men began to meander their way back to the rigs, signaling the end of our touring. I wanted to rush back to the Jeep instantly, but hesitated when a cool breeze swept over my body, causing any exposed flesh to tingle and get goose bumps. Unconsciously, through instinct, I turned my head into the wind, body making the exact calculations for what would be needed if I were to take off right now. Of course, a much easier way stood right in front of me in the form of a huge drop off over the side of the reservoir. I couldn't guess distances well, but I knew it had to be higher than the cliff at home once I look out over the end. Giddy emotions begged me to leap off the edge and free fall until the last possible second when I could open my... wing and power myself as high into the clouds as I could. It was tempting, so tempting, to do just that, but I forced myself away from the edge and hurried after Angeal. We still had some hunting to do.

END CHAPTER V


	6. The Hunters

R E C A P

"_It was tempting, so tempting, to do just that, but I forced myself away from the edge and hurried after Angeal. We still had some hunting to do. "_

_Chapter VI_

Late morning basked the world in golden light, the heat already past 85°, where it would hover until the latter half of the afternoon, even though the time had yet to reach noon. It was partly cloudy, a rare condition during Idaho's summer except during the brief cloudbursts, but the sun seemed to promise that it would burn away them before the day was over. All over town people were bustling to and fro as they headed wherever they might be going. Children of schooling age ran in packs about the city, their droves mingling briefly before they all headed their separate ways, and adults tried in vain to keep control over the young- and oldest of their bunch. Those who didn't rebel could be assumed as being neither too young nor old to want to resist their guardians or too sweet and mild-tempered to feel so inclined.

On the outskirts of Orofino, teenagers headed in droves to the beaches and rocky outcroppings along the Clearwater River to swim, fish, or go rafting in the cool water. Drinks were passed around, nonalcoholic for the most part, and the more risqué of the couples snuck off to secluded places to neck and "do the nasty", as Ahryn's mom would have said. Had Ahryn seen any of it, she probably would've treated them to a rant about how they were all going to get pregnant or STDs if they didn't use the proper precautions. Such as it was, she was enjoying a much delayed breakfast at the hotel and getting ready for the _real_ part of this mark hunting business.

!~………………………………..~!

And in those twelve years I'd been away – shit, did that mean I was getting close to twenty-nine now? – I still hated the taste of coffee. I hissed lowly at the cup I'd tried and shoved it away from me before attacking the rest of my breakfast. Angeal did nothing but raise an eyebrow at me and take a large gulp from his own coffee. I shuddered at this; how could he stand the bitter, scalding hot concoction!? It was a mystery how it seemed like everyone else in SOLDIER loved the stuff, yet I found all but the smell disgusting. And even then, it had to be black or _lightly_ sweetened / creamed for the smell to be any good too.

After I finished my toast and eggs, but had abandoned the bacon because it was too undercooked for me, I glanced at Angeal's plate and beamed. "Can I have you eggs if you're not going to touch them?" I asked slyly. Angeal grunted a noncommittal response and paused from reading the paper to push his plate towards me. He did, although, have a condition for me to meet and said, "But I'll take that bacon in return." I shrugged and transferred the food onto the opposite plates, then pushed his back. Minutes later, we had consumed everything and I was ready to a) take a nap or b) do nothing for the rest of the day. Right now, option A looked much more appealing than B for the simple reason that it was warm and I was feeling increasingly comfortable with my head resting on my arms which rested on the table. I had just drifted off to sleep when Angeal cleared his throat and nudged me under the table.

"Mrrr, 'the hell did you wake me up for?" I grumbled groggily, rubbing my eyes. I was _not_ pleased to be woken up from my cat nap and if Angeal didn't have a damn good reason for it I was going to rant some at him. In his favor was the fact my explanation was neither long nor long in coming.

"We're going, Elma. I've got an appointment set up for us at the Monastery in Grangeville," 'Arnold' said sternly, getting up, putting both of our dishes away, and heading for the door. I, too, stood up, but in a much more threatening way. I glared hatefully at his head and snarled under my breath, "If you think I'm going to stay there for one minute after you've left, you're _wrong_, Arn_old_." Nonetheless, I reluctantly followed him with much cursing and hateful words growled under my breath, shoving the sliding doors open and stomping off to the silver Jeep that wasn't nearly as comfortable as Angeal's little Ford Ranger.

The routine was, again, dropped as soon as we were out of sight of the hotel and I stretched happily, reaching behind the seat to make sure my sword was still safe and sound in the back seat. Although we didn't smuggle them into the hotel, we weren't completely defenseless. We still carried materia with us at all times, especially Revive and Black Magic, and could make use of almost anything as a weapon in a pinch.

"So, what do we do about our cunning friend? Dive-bomb him?" I queried hopefully, wiggling my ears and eyebrows. "And don't pull a Genesis and roll your eyes at me!"

Angeal groaned back, "Dear Gaia, Ahryn! Can't you give up on flying during this trip?" Maybe it was my heart broken look or the thought of having to deal with me complaining the rest of the trip, but at last he sighed, turned up the road towards Dworshack and grumbled, "You're lucky I don't say we have to hike just to spite you, Pup, and that I had been considering flying, albeit very high and with illusions, as a way of getting near Thextera." I squealed with glee at that and attempted to attack him with hugs, but his hand holding me back as well as my seatbelt doing the same prevented any glomping from happening. "Gerroff!", he growled lightheartedly and after a moment I gave up the futile attempt.

"So so so, are we going to dive-bomb Thextera or track it down or…? If he stays away from most people, we could probably dive-bomb him and end it right where he stands. We could track him until he's farther away from people if we had to, but if he's in act of attacking someone, I say to hell with secrecy. We're hunting Thextera _because_ he is killing people, it would be contradicting the point if we let him kill someone else while we're debating on whether or not we should show ourselves," I chattered, mood drastically improved once the big possibility of flying was introduced. I mean, c'mon! Who wouldn't get excited if they got to fly?

"As you noted, it all depends on where he is. As for the flying part, I might have you fly point while I follow on foot." He rubbed his shoulder pensively, eyes gazing off into the distance as he considered the possible tactics of the mission.

I fluffed up at those words and gave Angeal the most venomous look I could and hissed with a glower, "For the last time, Angeal, you are not a god damn monster! Compared to Seph's or mine or Genesis', yours are fluffy little angel wings! You've got better ethics than any of the rest of us and follow your honor to a T. If you're a monster, than I'm the Virgin Mary and as you know, that is _certainly_ not the case, therefore, you are not a monster because I am not the Virgin Mary."

For a moment, I was sure Angeal was about to launch into one of his monster or honor speeches, but he did something quite unexpected. He smiled and laughed of all things. I was speechless, but quirked a grin of my own when he mused, "If I ever find someone more adamant about that, I won't know what to think."

"Exactly," I said with slight smugness, "because there _isn't_ anyone else who is more adamant about it than me. Even Zack can't beat me. Now shut up, you're flying, even if you don't want to get those perty wings dirty!"

Angeal grinned briefly and then got back to the business of planning. "Right. So we'll drive or walk out on one of the side-trails, park the Jeep, and head towards Thextera. Once we get close enough, you and I will split up and advance from opposite directions. With any luck, we'll be able to corner Thextera and eliminate him. Remember; be alert at all times, Ahryn. Neither of us has been on a mission for several months, so our reflexes won't be as sharply honed as they should be; that could prove deadly," he warned me, his eyes reproachful. This was one time my reckless, hell-bent-on-destruction fighting style wasn't a good thing. I would have to slip into a more graceful, sleek style for this mission. It wouldn't fun, but it was do-able.

We turned off on one of the gate-roads about a half a mile later. I doubted that "gate-roads" were the real name for them, but I called them that simply because about 100 yards off the main road, there was often a small turn around area where hikers or whomever would park their rigs, grab their gear, and head off past the locked green gate that prevented cars from driving out the trail. We parked in one of the secluded corners and I could scarcely contain my excitement as I waited for Angeal to get out the damn car, grab his bloody sword and moooove! When he finally did get out of my way, I let out a suppressed squeal, bolted over the door, grabbed my own weapon and let out several subliminal _ping_s, which where like normal ones except harder to detect, in rapid succession. There were two hikers about a mile and one quarter off that were headed back to the pull out, but we could get out of sight before they returned. I did a double check of the road to satisfy Angeal's disapproving look – he was still being unhappy with flying – and then stretched mine out. I welcomed the chance to be completely "whole" and gave a few short flaps, lifting myself up and inch or two with each stroke, to get the kinks out.

Angeal was much slower in showing his own and he took what felt like forever to me to get adjusted, including putting on his pack – I had yet to don my own – _before_ he opened his wings, and double-checked the locations of the people around us. I gave him a pointed look and glanced down at the imaginary watch on my wrist. He raised an eyebrow an eyebrow at that gesture and said placidly, "Impatient you are."

With a loud snort, I inquired with a gasp of false wonder, "Oh my Gaia, are you _Yoda_!?" Angeal rolled his eyes, but grinned and fanned out both of his silver wings. I beamed at this, swung my pack up onto my left shoulder, and, with some degree difficulty, managed to get it slung to where I could still access my stuff, fly, and be comfortable all at the same time. I holstered my sword on my left hip for once, as my pack hung on my right side, and practiced drawing it a few times to get it embedded into my mind that I'd have to fight left-handed for right now. I nodded to Angeal and he finished laying out the plan.

"You're flying point, Ahryn. Keep about 200 yards ahead of me, watch out for traps or ambushes, and, if you see or sense Thextera, _let me know __**before**__ you dive down and start hacking away." _I scowled and scuffed the ground with my foot, but reluctantly agreed to let him know if I was heading in for the kill _before_ I entered a stoop and dive-bombed that damn wolf. "And you'll need to set up the illusions for us before we get going. That's your specialty after all," he added as a gentle reminder. I stuck my tongue out and said cheerfully, "It's been done since forever ago, Angie. I set the spell up so that it activates as soon as we spread wings." He shook his head at me and waved me off. "Then away with you, Ahryn! Go fly and cavort like you've been waiting to!"

I took off with a mighty stroke before he finished his last sentence. As I angled almost straight up, rocketing towards the heavens, I heard the rush of air through pinions as a white-winged angel followed in my tracks.

!~………………………………..~!

Beneath the canopy, a wolf of monstrous proportions, uncanny intelligence, and unusual coloration raised its mammoth head, looked to the sky, and parted its black gums in a feral, bloodthirsty grin. A low, pleased growl resounded from the beast's throat, the animals around it falling utterly silent. Their chatter had been quiet until then, but now everything ceased to move, to speak, to utter or provoke any sound. Frightened by a few other members of the pack, a cow elk dashed to within a few yards of the monstrous behemoth, eyes white with terror, and swung its weight around to flee from the new threat, but it was already to late. The wolf launched forward at unnatural speed and with great agility, killing the cow instantly with its gaping jaws.

From within the shadows, lithe, shadowy figures bounded, whining and wriggling happily, over to the carcass to fill their bellies with warm, fresh meat. Towering over them, Thextera grinned another mad, beastly grin. Tonight they would feast. Caws from overhead signaled the arrival of the carrion cleanup crew. This kill would not only feed Thextera's pack, but other scavengers in the forest as well.

Soon, a swift snap from the left caused the mark to snarl threateningly, leaping over the backs of its comrades to stand before a stunned archer. His bow clattered uselessly from his hands, his breathing speeding up frantically as his mind finally processed, in the last moments of his life, that what he was looking at was not that cow elk he had been stalking, but walking death itself. His howl was cut short by a vicious swipe from a massive, taloned paw. Above the trees, black shadows rose in surprise and then swiftly dove in for their share of the meal.

!~………………………………..~!

We had been flying for almost an hour now and I was getting bored of searching for Thextera based on sight alone. How the heck was I suppose to spot something that was spending most of its time _evading_ us, and doing a pretty damn good job of it, under the cover of heavy brush and timber? My annoyance must've carried over the telepathic connection to Angeal, for he ping'd me and grumbled resignedly, _'We're going to need a different plan. I-' _Any other words he was going to say were cut off as my cell phone went off and, presumably, his as well. I back pedaled swiftly, bringing myself to a hovering standstill almost instantly.

The heavy duty construction of my cell was flashing with various alarms, but I ignored the flashing light and beeping and flipped it open. I scrolled through the new information with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

_"Thextera has killed another hunter not far from you. He was found an hour ago by his hunting partners when he failed to respond to their attempts to radio him. They said they only knew it was him due to his clothing and bow. Naturally, both hunters were closely interrogated and their memories were being wiped as I sent this. The kill was found up Seven Mile Creek near Kamiah, Idaho. You and Angeal are to fly there immediately and conduct a thorough search there. Thextera must be felled swiftly. Disregard stealth for now and attack the beast even if there are witnesses present. End message."_

Kamiah. That was the place I more-or-less grew up in. I mean sure, I spent my childhood in Oregon, but the majority of my teenage life was spent in that hellhole of a town. By the time we got there, a bunch of priests were bound to have started to go hunt for Thextera themselves by using holy water and a wood stake. Either that or they'd go for the high explosives – always a good standby when you're a redneck. A shadow swooped over me, so I instinctively barrel-rolled to the side, ready to counterattack. Luckily for me, it was just my follow comrade. Angeal nodded his approval at the maneuver when he had slowed his flight enough to talk, but spoke swiftly, "We need to get going, Ahryn. Full speed to Kamiah, forget about trying to hide from people. ShinRa will make sure anyone who spots us and speaks about it is silenced and forgotten." Even though we were headed towards one of the places I feared going back to the most, I couldn't help but shiver with excitement. The real hunt had begun.

END CHAPTER VI


	7. Victory Fanfare

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: Sorry this is so late, guys! ;-; I've been having issues with life - such as NaNoWriMo and being ridiculously busy with prom committees and such - so I haven't been writing on my fics for. This is the LAST prologue chapter, so after this and from here on out the main course of the story is going on. I haven't quite worked out how I want to go about some of the stuff in the next chapters, so _if you would like to BETA- or proofread for me get in touch with me via PM here or email / MSN Messenger at _**.

R E C A P

" _Even though we were headed towards one of the places I feared going back to the most, I couldn't help but shiver with excitement. The real hunt had begun. "_

_Chapter VII_

The summer heat was beating down upon the rugged Idaho landscape, but as I couldn't feel it as we raced down the river at top speed. The wind tore away any shred of heat on their skin and only the heat waves rising from the ground told me that it was blisteringly hot in the sun and toasty in the shade. I made a sharp dive to the right to avoid one of the power lines stretched across the river at the bridge to Greer. Only eleven more miles. Angeal's wing beats faltered behind me as he, too, dodged the lines and continued our straight course to Kamiah. When we were past all the obstacles, I dove down closer to the river to get a drink. It was a tricky maneuver, one that had sent me into the river many times before I mastered it, but I was _really, really _thirsty. Angeal's mind prodded my own, _/What are you doing? This isn't a time to get yourself thrown in the water!/, _but I ignored him and slowed to only about twenty mph. Carefully, I scooped up a handful of water, brought it to my lips, and then pushed myself into a metaphorical overdrive mode to catch up with Angeal. I guess that speed could be compared to passing mode – good for short bursts of speed, but it took a lot out of you.

Even though I had wasted precious seconds by slowing down, it was still easy for me to catch up with and speed past Angeal. His flying was slowest out of us all, but he could also stay aloft for the longest time without landing. I was more in the middle with speed and stamina, but I was more graceful than anyone else. I learned more stunts and, due to my low body length – a nice way of saying I'm short – I could perform them tighter and faster than everyone else.

Even though it had only been a few more minutes, I could already see the railroad trestle that marked the site of Three Rivers Timber Mill and, more or less, the beginning of Kamiah. I wasn't surprised we had gotten here so quickly, flying close to 85 mph – I would've gone closer to 95 if Angeal hadn't held me back – had distinct advantages. However, now that we were closing in on our target location I had no clue what we were going to do. Did we just dive into the location where Thextera had been seen or did we look in the surrounding location? Another ping from Angeal told me to follow him and that I did.

**/But where are we going, Ang?/**

_/To the kill site. I just pinged Lazard – he mentioned something about the FBI team being harassed by smaller wolves who were trying to get at an elk carcass nearby. I've got a hunch that those wolves are somehow connected to Thextera./_

Fair enough, I guess, but I wasn't keen on flying straight over Kamiah. Thankfully as soon as we got close to the main groups of house Angeal began to rapidly take on altitude. I saw his point. While ShinRa might be covering for us, it wasn't a good idea to flaunt out presence. Infact that might be a stupid move considering how irritable and sharp the President could be these days. I didn't mean the president of the US, but the president of ShinRa, of course. What with the slow transfer between dimensions still going on and all he was pretty uptight lately.

Seven Mile wasn't far ahead of us, being on the far side of Kamiah on the grade that took you up out of the valley and onto the prairie, and already I could smell blood on the wind. I had smelt so much carnage during my years of service to ShinRa that it seemed like I could sniff out death like a bloodhound. I got tired of Angeal's strained, yet so slow, pace and let him know I was going to fly ahead before slipping past him. He made no move to try and catch up and I relished the feeling of rushing through the air like some ethereal being. My joy was short lived.

I glanced down to watch the landscape below race by and my throat contracted at what I saw. On the steep hillside and, another cow elk at its feet, there stood Thextera. It seemed perfectly aware of me, for it stared up with a grin on its face and slowly waved its tail in a mocking wag. Finally, my fighting instincts clicked on and I sent a full out scream to Angeal.

**/THEXTERA. BELOW ME. GOING IN./ **

My dive seemed to go in slow motion and it felt like it took me an eternity to unsheathe my sword, the blade letting out a low keen as it sliced through the air. It suddenly struck me that I should've thought to name it. It was a useless thought and one that distracted me as I fought the sudden summer winds that assailed me as I got closer to the ground. I readied myself for the impact of knocking into Thextera, casting Protect to prevent any broken bones – though I couldn't guarantee that it would save me from bruises and sore muscles – but I failed to ready myself for the ambush that awaited me.

As soon as I got into range, wolves rushed in from the surrounding shadows. Pain lanced through my shoulder and wing as I fought for mastery of the sky and pulled myself into a straight skyward path to avoid being torn to shreds. Even with my speed, I heard the click of teeth on teeth as their lunges just barely avoided my flesh. As I shot skyward, Angeal dove down to meet me, his own standard-issue SOLDIER blade slicing my eyes with flashes of light as the sun refracted off its mirror-like surface. For a moment, I caught a glimpse of my own battle-hardened, serious stare and saw the pupils of my mako eyes contract sharply. _No, not right now! _I couldn't risk a Geostigma attack in the middle of a mark battle. I needed to back up Angeal, dammit.

I snarled quietly, flipping myself over again and following him down to about fifty yards above where the pack roiled and growled and slathered beneath us, Thextera still watching us with this amused, sadistic expression. The grim utterance of a spell was followed by a flash of blue from Angeal's hand. The Blizzara spell took out several of the smaller wolves, but most were still standing. Thextera howled in a mixture of rage, desperation, and sorrow, racing around its pack before leading them away at full speed. They were headed straight for a draw and, should we not catch them before they were within its safety, we would almost certainly lose them in the brush.

I barreled after the pack, Angeal hot on my heels, but was forced to swerve and duck and dodge as several of the taller trees on the fringes of the forest toppled forward. I caught a glimpse of Thextera's multicolored coat as the last pine landed with a thud and went to follow, but its form was already last within the undergrowth. I swore loudly and turned to Angeal, who was already moving to have a look-see at the bodies of the three others we had managed to fell. One last glance towards the draw to make sure nothing was going to ambush us and I was headed the same direction.

The elder SOLDIER was already examining the wolves' teeth when I got there and he looked over at me when I crouched down.

"These are pups, Ahryn; they're not even fully grown. Look-" He gestured at the inside of the canine's mouth. "-those are still milk teeth. I think it's safe to assume that Thextera is a she and these are her offspring. And if what our informant says is true, she'll be coming back for our blood for killing them."

I shook my head in disbelief. "So what exactly are we going to do now? Go and wait around like sitting ducks?" I asked sharply.

Angeal shrugged and grinned mildly. "Actually, Ahryn, that's exactly what we're going to do."

!~………………………………..~!

In front of Harvest Foods there was the same hustle and bustle of people stopping to get groceries or snacks or whatever for their summer adventures. Burly-looking motorcyclists got gas over at the Pit Stop while mothers were harassed by their children and teenagers arrived in their old clunkers to get gas, snacks, and air for their tires. All in all, it was a typical day in Kamiah and the whole town looked pretty much how Ahryn remembered it.

The same faces, the same stores, the same cars roamed the wide streets. Old classmates walked down the streets holding their two-year old's hand or mooning over their fiancé. Teachers were in the Post Office getting their mail or chattering with retired colleagues. The same drunks wove their way out of the bar despite it being a little past 3 in the afternoon.

!~………………………………..~!

It was pathetic. Nothing had ever changed this place. I snorted and continued to look thoroughly aloof on my section of the concrete wall. I had already been given several dirty looks from passing adults; no doubt they thought I was some kind of common criminal looking for people to mug. Truth was, I just wasn't thrilled to be under strict orders from Angeal to not attempt to find my mother and, on the off chance she recognized me, to ignore her and deny everything.

I was _supposed_ to go in and get taquitos while Angeal made sure the area was clear. We were stopped here for food, but that didn't mean we wanted to have a big battle with Thextera in the middle of the grocery store parking lot. I grumped and had just stood when I received his affirmative ping. The perimeter was clear of any big bad wolves. I shoved my hands into my pants pockets and I headed towards the entrance to get those taquitos. I didn't see the point in going hungry during a mission and the spicy food would maybe warm up my chilly feelings. I slipped lithely from my concrete perch and dodged around parked cars. A few drivers gave me irritable glances and one cranky old man even barked at me to get out of the way. I returned his glower with one of my own, but kept moving.

I was waiting in line at the deli when a tap on my shoulder brought me around to stare face-to-face with Angie. "Jeebus, you scared the shit out of me," I muttered before turning back around. I turned back around just in time to see the customer in front of me be served, opening up my way to the cashier. I opened my mouth to place an order, but stopped when another scene unfolded.

A co-worker, looking stressed, ran up to her and muttered something quickly into the other woman's ear, beckoning her towards the back of the store. While she spoke very quick and softly, I was able to make out "bizarre break in" and "come see". I tilted my head slowly as the two women dashed off, one grabbing a broom as if to use it in self defense. Angeal's eyes narrowed, puzzled, and he echoed perfectly my sentiment when he murmured, "Well, I guess there will be no taquitos today. Grab something else, shall we?"

There wasn't much of anything good in the cold deli, but I halfheartedly grabbed a turkey sandwich. I looked up and was thrown to the side as the wall was rent by an unknown force in the biggest explosion I had been in. My head hit the concrete and vision swam with the blow, so I groggily cast a half-assed Cure on myself. I hauled my haggard way back up using the nearest object, which happened to be the freezers they kept ice in just incase someone wanted to purchase a bag or two. Through blurry vision and ringing ears, I saw the mighty form of a certain wolf hovering dangerously over the prone form of Angeal who had been slammed against one of the tile shelves used to display fruit. Though I was really in no form to fight either, I did the first thing that came to mind.

"_BLIZZAGA!" _I screamed at the Mark, slashing my hand in a short, downward stroke. With the command, a bolt of ice formed above the beast, plummeting towards its target. Thextera barked in surprised, leaping away quick enough that only one of its hind legs caught damage from the magic. It gave just enough time for Angeal to heal himself and stand up, his hand reaching for a pen attached, oddly enough, to his belt. With a flick of his wrist, it became a full-sized, fully functional broad sword as the cloaking fell away. He stepped forward and lashed out sideways, driving the wolf farther away. My own hand reached for my own disguised weapon… That wasn't there.

I'll admit, I panicked for a moment and began to search frantically. Rubble was strewn all over the ground and there would be no way I could find it amongst everything. So I did the only thing I could do – I Called it to me. I hated Calling things; my gut wrenched and churned, my Geostigma burned like a white hot flame, and I could _hear_ Her. It was slightly stronger this time, but Her voice wavered and broke away as I shoved Her from my mind and grasped my sword that I had Called through the Lifestream and back into my waiting hand.

Glass snapped and shattered underfoot when I ran across it, leaping blocks of brick and concrete and sliding on pieces of smashed fruit. Teeth skated across my sword as I parried a snap from Thextera, the unearthly hiss of canines on metal sending shivers down my spine. She left out a scream as Angeal landed a hit, blood erupting from a slash on her haunch. Another blast the she-wolf caused pushed us away from her and sent me on my butt as I tripped over the edge of a slab of rubble. I brought my sword up to shield my body, but the wolf was dashing away towards other aisles in the store, limping slightly as she compensated for the injury to her leg.

Angeal headed after her, but motioned for me to circle around. I did so, dodging screaming customers and store workers alike. One of them, a woman who was hurrying out of aisle 4, caught my eye and I froze when she called my name. "Ahryn?!" There was no way… Fate couldn't be pulling such a cruel trick on me. Yet, as I really looked at her, there was no denying it.

That was my mother.

I had only a few seconds to register this before a heavy body displaced me and a gruff voice shouted, "Focus, Ahryn!" Angeal was struggling against Thextera who had narrowly missed her chance to disembowel me. I took one last glance at my mom before I picked myself up off my knees and charged the snaring brute. Swiftly, I cleaved down, slicing into her neck. She fell back with a howl and made ready for one last desperate attack. Swiftly, Angeal intervened, slicing through the rest of her sinewy neck with a well placed blow. The ghastly body fell to the tile floor with a crash, sending several shelves toppling as dead weigh slammed against it and created a domino effect even as the body began to rapidly decompose and return to the Lifestream.

For a few silent moments, for my ears were still echoing with my name, all we did was stare at each other. Then, on an impulse, I ran. My footsteps were harsh gunfire on the floor, but more rapid gunfire caught up with me. I was hardly surprised when a feminine hand grabbed my wrist and yanked me around so that I could be pulled into a crushing hug. I was both elated and horrorstruck, two polar opposites fighting in vain to gain dominance over my heart.

"Where have you been, Ahryn? I looked _everywhere_ for you. When the police gave up on the case, I did everything in my power to find you on my own. But you had vanished into thin air," she sobbed, clutching me tighter to her body. I glanced frantically behind her for some advice form Angeal, but he just looked away, a pained expression on his aged face. My mom seemed to catch the direction of my glance and whirled to glare at him. I wasn't prepared for the screaming frenzy that ensured and, apparently, neither was Angie for he flinched, but took the abuse silently and without ire.

"And _you_," she screeched, "just who do you think you are!? You think you're her _master_ now, do you, just because you kidnapped her and broke her?! I know she's looking to you for orders, but I'm not letting you take her again from me. Do–" I whirled and clamped a hand over her mouth, eyes set into hard, stony shapes.

"Now is _not_ the time, Mom, and if you'll be quiet for _ten minutes_ I'll go home and explain everything." When she continued to glare buster swords are Angeal, I growled irritably, "If you _must_ know, that's Angeal and he's as much of a kidnapper as you are." Finally, the death lock eased and I could breathe freely again, but the iron grasp on my wrist never ceased. She gave us both one last, hard stare each and then began to frog-march me out towards the car. Angeal followed more slowly; I heard him talking lowly into his cell phone, reporting back to Lazard no doubt, and knew he would be a while.

The drive back home, in the same Subaru my mom had owned when I vanished, passed in silence, her stress-aged face glancing over and over into the rear-view mirror in what I recognized as a paranoia-reflex. She was checking to make sure Angeal wasn't following us. It was a useless thing to do, I knew, but how was I going to explain to her that Angeal could find me via telepathy and come to us, no matter where she tried to hide, on wings? What really surprised me was that she didn't try to hide, but went straight home. Abruptly, she turned to me and said firmly, "You're staying home and you're explaining everything – to me as well as the FBI. And I'll be damned if they don't haul your 'friend' away in irons."

I groaned mentally. Great, she was going to try and drag the FBI into a ShinRa issue. That meant my tale would be believable, but also that she would indubitably raise hell about them not being able to do anything, which meant that we would have to go back to New York City if Mom wouldn't cool it and accept the impossible. I didn't want to think about taking an outsider into HQ, even if it was my own mother, and having to explain every aspect of the operation. Maybe I could leave that to Lazard – he was so much better at calmly laying the facts out on the table.

Gravel crunched as we twisted our way up the driveway to the house my mom still owned. I had no time to look around as immediately Mom was out of the car, rushing to the passenger's side, and herding me through the gate, up the porch steps, and into the front door of the doublewide. I was made to wait on the sage colored couch, another similarity from ten years past, while she called up the FBI and held an intense conversation with them. Sometime during the call, a ping brushed against mine and I threw one of my own towards Angeal.

**/Hey Angeal, right now might not be the best time. Wait til the FBI gets here./**

_**/**__She's calling the FBI? This is going to be interesting. I'll wait then, let me know when the coast is clear./_

**/Roger that./**

Finally, Mom set down the phone with an audible click and turned to smile at me. "They're on their way, Erin, you don't need to worry about that man coming to get you," she crooned soothingly, brows furrowing when I only gave her an amused half-smile. She hurried to sit by me, stroking my back and talking meaningless banter that I swiftly tuned out. Just a few minutes later, when I could the icy consciousnesses of the FBI who were slinking up the driveway in their unmarked black cars, I shifted away from my mom and cut her off mid-sentence.

"Mom, please, stop assuming things you know nothing about." When she looked fit to burst, I made swiftly to cut her off again. "And now you're going to assume something else. Yes, I disappeared ten years ago into thin air. Yes, I arrived back in your sight in... questionable circumstances. Yes, to you it would indeed look like I had been kidnapped and made to fight like a gladiator. However, I was not kidnapped; I was not made to fight – that I chose myself; and I am in no way subservient to Angeal. I take orders from him because he is my senior and I respect and trust him – not because he is of higher rank. But, please, remember that everything you want me to tell you is highly classified right now and that you will be asked to believe the impossible."

I took a deep breath after my short speech. The FBI was clunking up the porch steps. I needed to let Angeal know he should come in shortly.

**/Okay, Ang, you can move in./**

_/Good luck; I hope you're dealing with a senior agent and not a trainee./_

I grimaced. I could remember the last time I had to go through something like this with a new FBI agent. Thorough pain in the ass, that was, so Angeal was right to wish me luck. I got up to answer the polite knock on the doorframe, ignoring the pained stare that was frying the back of my neck, and opened the door. Two agents, both male, lounged outside the door. One, who seemed to be a bit younger as his dirty blonde hair had not begun to grey with age, was leaning against the railing with a bored expression, but I knew that his casual air masked a hair-pin trigger.

The other, who I guessed to be senior – both from his dark hair that had begun to show hints of silver and his confident, assured vibe – addressed me, "You're the daughter, am I correct? Your mother called us to investigate a possible kidnapping." He shifted a small briefcase in his left hand, probably containing a laptop by the look of it, and glanced over my shoulder at my irate mother.

I barely managed to resist rolling my eyes at the whole situation. "Yeah, that she did. Come in, both of you, and let's see if we can get this all sorted out properly." I yawned and beckoned the inward, returning to my place on the couch. "So who are you two? I don't think I've seen either of you around before," I drawled, stiff irritation being replaced by dull boredom.

The younger of the two spoke this time, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "I'm a newbie, so I don't think anyone really has. I'm Agent Bedford, but I hate being called that nonstop so most people just shorten it to Ford." He grinned briefly at me. "And then this is my boss, Agent "Gary" Garrison."

I nodded respectfully to both. "Right, well, let me get my ID for you. I'm afraid it might have a bit of blood on it – we just finished knocking off Thextera when this happened." I began to rummage through my wallet, stopping when my mom stood and began shrieking.

"Just what is going on here? My daughter turns up after ten years in the presence of unknown personnel and you two, who are suppose to be locking up that kidnapper, are talking with her calmly like nothing is wrong!? You're both in on this kidnapping! You just want to take her away from me and continue creating an army of kidnapped children!" She shook with rage, tears streaming down her weary face, and I finally felt a little panic. Yes, I had steeled my heart to things like this after ten years, but how could she just stand there and vomit blasphemies when I was offering the truth if she could just _shut up _for a half an hour! I knew she had been through ten years of hell, but so had I. I knew she was just trying to protect me because she was my mother and loved me but right now she was the one who needed to be quiet and let _me_ handle things.

"For Gaia's sake, Mother! Please shut up! You're being hysterical and if you want an explanation you'll have to put a sock in it. Don't think that I won't hesitate to slap some duct tape over your mouth until we're finished. I told you that you would need to believe the impossible so stop shrieking!" I huffed, hands clenched into fists.

Amusingly enough, this was exactly when Angeal made his entrance. He didn't knock, but opened the door right away and stepped inside. Wryly he said, "It seems I couldn't have picked a worse time to get here. I take it she's not reacting well?" He had been addressing me before now, but now Angeal turned to my mom and coaxed gently, "Michelle – yes, I know your name for Ahryn has talked to me about you – you really do need to listen for just a bit. I give you my word that I would never kidnap anyone's children – for good or evil. Please, judge after you have heard all there is to say."

Her mouth gaped like a fish's for a few more seconds, but finally she nodded warily and gestured for us to continue. I heaved a great sigh and returned to rummaging through my wallet. At last, I pulled out a slightly battered ID card and handed it to Garrison. He opened the briefcase, which did indeed have a laptop within it, and tapped in my ID number. The laptop pinged cheerfully, pulling up a screen that had a larger shot of me on it as well as pretty much my entire life story. Garrison nodded after a moment of scanning the information. "Right, you're clear, Ahryn. Now if I could see yours, Angeal? I know it's a hassle, but it has to be done." Tap, tap, tap went the keyboard and a few seconds later Angeal's identification process was done.

Garrison turned to my mom and said soothingly, "Ma'am, there's nothing you need to worry about. Your daughter is perfectly fine. Angeal Hewley is no kidnapper and Ahryn Nire is no damsel in distress. If I may, Angeal, I daresay she could give you a run for your money if she was so inclined."

At this, I piped in, "And if I couldn't out fight him, I could always out fly Mr. Slowpoke." Angeal gave me a good natured pushed so I growled playfully and lightly punched his arm.

Ford grinned, but it was still his boss who spoke. "While the FBI is not privy to ShinRa's secrets, I daresay that you, as mother of one of their SOLDIERs, you can receive the whole story from your daughter. I know not the specifics of her departure, so I cannot tell you myself. However, I would believe what they tell you, for it's all quite true. Soon enough, all of this will be common knowledge. Now, if that is all, Ford and I will depart and give you all time to recover and get things sorted out amongst yourselves."

In only a short minute and a half, the two agents were gone and my mom was left in her chair, hand covering her mouth, as she stared disbelievingly into space. The silence was uncomfortable and I longed to break it, but sensed it was time to wait for my mom's lead. After a long, long wait, she finally turned to us, eyes alert, yet resigned, and sighed, "Very well, let me hear this story of yours, Ahryn."

END PROLOGUE


End file.
